The Wings of an Angel
by TheCartoonFanatic01
Summary: His time in the Afterlife now over, Otonashi has been reincarnated into Arata Takahashi, an average paperboy whose life just sucks all around. However, all of that changes when he is forced to meet Chouko Hashimoto, the silver-haired daughter of a successful businessman. Why is it that he feels he knows her despite her being a complete stranger? R&R! I DON'T OWN ANGEL BEATS!
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! Welcome to my first "Angel Beats!" fic! I have been a fan for several months now, ever since I started watching the anime, and this fic has been put off for so long till now. And after so much time that was put into the production process, I sincerely hope that I do this justice.

Before we begin, let me make a super-long, super-detailed explanation about certain elements of the story, which I seriously recommend you read first before diving into the story. If you don't, there may or may not be a whole lot of confusion headed your way, depending on how well your comprehension is.

As to where the fic's premise comes from, this is obviously my spin on what happened during the events of the epilogue in Episode 13. I've read a lot of similar fics for inspiration, and while I absolutely loved all of them, I saw that they all had one few thing in common: the characters have all retained their names from their previous lives, which are practically being repeated. I mean, obviously, it is meant to tell the readers who is who in the world of the living, but considering everyone in SSS has been reincarnated, I have found it to be somewhat unrealistic for them to just be reincarnated back into their previous lives. I mean, I fully understand that the whole concept of death was not fully elaborated upon in the anime, but because of that, that's just how I feel about the whole thing. And besides, I always aim for my first stories in any fandom to be unique from others that have similar plots.

As a result, I've created new identities for the entire cast of "Angel Beats!", complete with full names. Now don't worry, they'll all regain their memories midway into the story, but for now, you will have to deal with these "new characters" for the time being. To avoid any confusion, I have compiled a comparison chart for the characters' old names and new names. I intend to post this chart at the beginning of every chapter so if someone gets pretty confused on which character has the name Arata Takahashi, for example, they could refer back to the chart and find out who has that name. It should be quite plain and simple, so I'm very confident there won't be any stress that'll be brought by the confusion. In addition, I've picked names that sound similar enough to the original names.

For the prologue, the chart is starting off with six names: Yuzuru Otonashi, Kanade Tachibana, Yuri Nakamura, Hideki Hinata, Ayato Naoi, and Masami Iwasawa, since all of them will have a significant amount of focus within the story. The chart shall be updated every time we learn a new character's SSS identity, but that will kick off midway into the story, when the ultimate reveal is made. Until then, the only six characters you will be able to distinguish easily will be the ones that I just mentioned. In the meantime, you will have to guess who's who in the midst of OCs I'm gonna hurl your way, since I'm sadistic and all that. :P

Anyway, enough with the super-long introduction! On with the chapter now. ENJOY!

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT own "Angel Beats!" All claims of ownership go to Jun Maeda, P.A. Works, and Aniplex!

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**April 11, 2026**

* * *

**Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Takahashi Household**

"Arata-kun, wake up! You're gonna be late for your work! This is the last time I'm gonna tell you that, mister!"

On his bed, sixteen-year-old Arata Takahashi turned on his side underneath his soft covers and moaned loudly, irritated at the start of another morning for him. If there was one thing that he absolutely hated the most during his daily routine, then it'd be having to wake up after a long night of nice, tranquil sleep, hands down. It annoyed him to no possible end; he even preferred eating his least favorite dish over waking up. And, to make matters worse, he would always have to leave that desirable state of carefree peace whenever he was having a rather good dream, whatever it was.

"Late for work?" Takahashi asked to himself, remembering the warning he received. "Wonder what the hell she means by that..."

Exhausted, Takahashi lifted his arm in a half-hearted manner, allowing his hand to search for his clock. Once his fingers touched the familiar metallic surface, he turned the clock face so he could see the numbers. Upon seeing them, he yawned and rubbed his eyes, wondering if his misread that.

He didn't. 8:55 A.M.

"HOLY CRAP!" Takahashi shouted in horror as he leaped out of his bed and rushed to his closet, opening the door with such force that the mirror on it trembled. "I AM GONNA BE LATE, I'M GONNA BE LATE, I'M GONNA BE **LATE**!" Desperately, he started picking the articles of clothing that were in easy reach, simultaneously trying to take off his sleepwear in the process. "OH GOD, OH MY GOD, CAN'T BE LATE, CAN'T BE LATE, CAN'T BE **LATE**!"

"Arata-kun, are you okay?" the same voice called. "Do you need some help?"

"I'm fine, Mom!" Takahashi yelled back. "I've got this!" Then, he added, with emphasized frustration, "AND STOP CALLING ME ARATA-KUN!"

His mother didn't respond, leaving Takahashi to sigh and resume his activities.

Finally managing to take off all of his sleepwear, Takahashi began to dress up. As he did so, he thought bitterly to himself, _"Great. I am sixteen years old, almost turning seventeen, and my mom is _still_ asking if I need some help with my damn _clothes_. Like I'm a little kid! Can't wait till I finally get myself out of this house..."_

He finished putting on his clothes and quickly left the bedroom, brushing aside a lock of red hair that hung before his eye as he did so. As he traveled down the short staircase, Takahashi could hear the old family television set blaring. He was still surprised that a thing from sixteen years ago could still work in a time like this. The television seemed to be on a news channel that was covering a top story, apparently about some killer cult, but Takahashi didn't care the slightest.

"Good, you're awake!"

A middle-aged woman who had hair colored in the same scarlet as Takahashi's, wearing a blue dress with a polka-dotted apron, stepped beside the staircase's base. She crossed her arms and gave Arata a frown of disapproval as he passed her and rushed into the kitchen, where he found a plate of his breakfast lying on his usual side of the table, no doubt made by his mother during his slumber. However, Takahashi stopped dead after seeing what his mother had prepared.

"Uh, Mom?..." he asked.

"Yeah, I know you don't like Mápó dòufu, Arata-kun," the woman replied as she stepped into the kitchen, removing her apron as she did so, "but it's either that or that expired cereal that's sitting in the back of the food cabinet. Now, just eat it up, mister. You're gonna be late as it is, Arata-kun."

"Stop calling me Arata-kun, Mom..." the redheaded teenager sighed.

"Well, as long as you're in this house, then I can call you whatever I wish. And Arata-kun suits me best. So don't argue with me, mister. Now, eat up!"

Takahashi grumbled to himself. He loved his mother like any other son would, but whenever it was one of his busy days, either at school or at his part-time job, and things weren't going well for him, then she would go bonkers on him. It didn't surprise him to know the reason why; the job he had and the money it paid were practically the only things that kept them in their house and not out on the cold and unforgiving streets.

He waited until his mother left the kitchen to watch the old television set. Once she did, he stood up and rushed to the sink, emptying the entire plate of all the food that it held, all the while imitating the best slurping and munching sounds as he possibly could. Once all the food was down the drain, Takahashi turned on the sink to clean up any remnants of the dish that were still there. Then, he deactivated the water, finished off anything that might've remained in the drainage pipe with the sink's waste disposal system, grabbed the bag slung over his chair, and hurriedly walked over towards the front door.

"Alright-I'm-done-gotta-go-bye!" exclaimed Takahashi quickly as he unlocked the door, opened it, and left the house.

"Be careful, Arata-kun!" the mother replied, even though it was seconds after Takahashi closed the door.

Outside the house, Takahashi hopped on his bicycle, put on his helmet, and began to pedal down the concrete sidewalk. As he did, he looked around to survey the neighborhood he was in. He honestly couldn't believe that, much like the family's TV set, all of the houses comprising his neighborhood were made of more simpler construction materials that seemed more appropriate for twenty, maybe even thirty years ago, in comparison to the other neighborhoods that boasted more advanced construction. Takahashi could vividly remembered all of the pictures of buildings built during the 1990s and 2000s, pictures that he saw in all of his history textbooks; to him, it was as if he was living in that approximate timeline instead of the modern-day world. And it displeased him.

* * *

**Nishitōkyō, Japan**

As he pedaled into Nishitōkyō, Takahashi noticed a paperboy riding his own bicycle, pedaling across the street in order to get to his destination. Being a normal paperboy too, Takahashi could not help but severely dislike that job, for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, his boss was a total pain in the ass, as if his schoolteachers weren't enough for him. Secondly...he could not see the worth of that job, seeing that the newspaper industry continued to operate right under the looming shadow of the so-called 'digital age'. It surprised (and actually distressed) Takahashi to know that newspapers were actually still a bit of a trend.

If Arata Takahashi had one honest truth that he upheld and always would till the day he died, it would be the fact that he wasn't that much of a big fan in stuff that originated from the olden days, products of previous generations. He dismissed them all as trash that the previous generations had forgotten to pick up, in his own words. This dislike undoubtedly stemmed from his strict upbringing in the rather simple, almost primitive environment that was his house, accompanied by a mounting childhood desire to learn more about the technological advancements that he kept hearing about from day to day.

It really didn't help him to know that he was working a job that should've been anything but alive by now.

Takahashi sighed in frustration and closed his eyes for a brief second.

"TAKAHASHI!" a voice bellowed. "TAKAHASHI, STOP, **STOP**!"

However, it was too late: Takahashi collided into a short and stocky man with a balding scalp, a graying black mustache, and squinted eyes that were radiating pure intimidation. Both fell onto a nearby stack of newspapers, causing it to collapse and bury the man neck-deep in dozens of copies.

Groaning and holding his head, Takahashi then realized who he ran into; he exclaimed desperately, "Oh, I'm SO sorry, Itagaki-sensei!"

Itagaki blinked, seemingly in disbelief, and then stared at Takahashi, his eyes burning with rage.

"You are _late_, Takahashi," he snarled savagely. "You are goddamn _late_. I was actually _this goddamn close_ to firing your goddamn sorry _ass_. Then, you _finally_ show up, but when you do, BOOM! I am sitting on _my_ goddamn ass, buried neck-deep in a pile of _my_ goddamn newspapers, and you're whining like a goddamn baby, giving _me_ goddamn APOLOGIES! Do you have any goddamn idea of the time it took to _make_ this goddamn stack, Takahashi?! HUH?!"

"I am SO sorry, Itagaki-sensei!" repeated Takahashi as he stood up and began picking up the newspapers. "I'll stack them again."

"You better goddamn _do_ that, _Takahashi_," Itagaki growled in pure loathing as he stood up and dusted his clothes. "I paid a WHOLE lotta good money and effort in having those goddamn newspapers made and then stacked with that precision. And after you do that lil' chore, you have your goddamn paper route to take care of. And because of your goddamn late arrival here, as well as the fact that you were delayed by rearranging that goddamn newspaper stack, that means I am gonna have to cut your pay for today in..._half_. Consider yourself goddamn lucky that I didn't make it three-fourths, let alone a hundred goddamn percent!"

With that, Itagaki stormed off, his face flushed with a bright crimson. Sighing in relief, Takahashi resumed rearranging the newspaper stack.

"Need a little help with that, Arata?" a voice asked.

Takahashi smiled and looked across his shoulder to see the teenage girl with chin-length pink-red hair, who was standing a few feet away from him, smiling.

"Hey, Hasumi," he greeted. "Yeah, I'm probably gonna need some help on this."

Hasumi stepped forward and began picking up several of the newspapers alongside Takahashi, who merely continued looking at her. Hasumi was his coworker and also a fellow classmate of his at their high school. And admittedly, he had a rather big crush on her, although his hopes would always be dashed whenever she viewed their relationship as nothing more than a friendship, being blissfully unaware of his true feelings. Plus, there was...

"I apologize for my father..._again_..." she said.

"Why does he have to be such a pain in the ass?" moaned Takahashi. "I try my best. And how am I repaid? Only shouts and insults being thrown my way!"

"Well, he obviously doesn't really like you that much. Far from it."

"Heh. Well _that's_ the news of the century."

"Yeah, well you should see him at home. Nothing but complaints." Hasumi looked at Takahashi. "Why were you late, anyway?" she asked. "You're never late."

"I guess I must have overslept last night."

"Why in the world would you oversleep?"

"Uh...it's the _week__end_, Hasumi."

Hasumi chuckled, then shrugged dismissively. "Doesn't excuse anything, especially when you have a daytime job to attend to every day."

Takahashi suddenly imagined himself hugging empty air as tears cascaded down his face, his breath growing shorter and desperate by the second...only that it actually _wasn't_ him. Shaking his head to clear it of the strange thoughts, he resumed picking up newspapers.

As he did, he glanced at Hasumi, who was bent down as she picked up the newspapers near her. Strands of her hair fell down from her shoulders in a manner that Takahashi found rather graceful in its own right. Cracking a small smile, he remembered something that happened yesterday, something that he had been hoping would present a perfect opportunity for him to finally be able to confess his long-withheld feelings to Hasumi.

"Hey, Hasumi?" he piped.

She looked at him; he was briefly fascinated by her eyes. "Yes?"

_"Be calm, Arata. This is _not _a date. It's just a friendly thing. You can't rush things just yet. Just ask her out _as a friend_... Not all that hard to do, right?"_

He replied, "I have two tickets to a midnight concert of _The White Crow_. I know how much you love their music, so...I thought I'd take you along with me there-"

Hasumi smiled sadly. "Oh, I'm sorry, Arata. I already have a ticket, and my friends all took the remaining three tickets. Hey, maybe I'll see you there?"

"Yeah, yeah...maybe you will..." lied Takahashi. Then, he added in his thoughts, _"At least she didn't bring him with her. That's good..."_

Unfortunately, as he was distracted, the wind picked up and blew some of them away, much to his misfortune.

"GODDAMN IT, TAKAHASHI! LOOK AT THOSE GODDAMN NEWSPAPERS GO! GO AND GET 'EM, GODDAMN IT!"

"Y-Y-Yes, sir," stuttered Takahashi nervously before sprinting off to catch up with them.

_"Man, this life totally sucks ass,"_ he thought with frustration as he caught up with the first newspaper and struggled to pick it up, only for it to continue fluttering away from his reach, as if it were mocking him and his efforts. It didn't take long till a small crowd gathered and began laughing at his antics.

_"Aw, great. Now everyone's laughing at me like I'm an idiot. My house sucks, my living sucks, my job sucks, everyone and everything around me sucks...Hasumi's an exception, but I can only get so far with her... If I had the chance to redo my life within my grasp, I'd take it in a flash. ...Aw man, if only that were so..."_

* * *

**Bedroom of Chouko Hashimoto  
****Hashimoto Manor**

Chouko Hashimoto opened her eyes and found herself staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. The bright sunlight was shining through the elegant window of her bedroom, bathing her eyes in its golden warmth. She blinked a couple of times before sitting up on her bed, an emotionless expression etched on her face, like engraved stone as it usually was. Letting out an indifferent sigh, she stared out of the window longingly, strands of her long silver hair falling down to her face.

"Chouko-chan!" a female voice called. "Your breakfast is ready, hot and fresh!"

"I'm coming, Junna-san," replied Chouko indifferently. Then, she whispered to herself, "On time, as always."

She got out of her bed, straightened out her silver hair, and then looked out of the window again. The sun was high in the sky, continuing to shine without any hindrance of clouds. If there was one thing that she liked about the day, it was the sun, plain and simple. It was so beautiful with its light. She couldn't possibly imagine her life without it, since it was practically one of very few things in existence that could make her life worth it.

After dressing up in her indoors attire, Chouko left her bedroom and stepped out into the hallway, watching as Fuuta walked out of his own, looking a bit tired, but no doubt rather dissatisfied that his peaceful sleep had been interrupted unceremoniously. His signature Mao cap hung over his eyes. She approached him, her trademark emotionless expression still etched on her face, but she knew very well that he could read through that facade like one would with a book.

"Good morning, Fuuta," she greeted, her voice stoic, as always. "I hope you had an exceptionally enjoyable sleep."

"Far from it, actually, to tell you the truth," he replied bitterly. However, he let out a short, hollow laugh before coolly flicking away strands of his dark-green hair that were handing in front of his face. "But...I guess it beats having to wake up every morning and help out Mom with all the chores."

"Come. Your mother has already prepared breakfast for us."

"Whatever you say, Chou-kee."

Chouko looked at Fuuta, her golden eyes glimmering. "I believe this marks the 700,000th time I've requested you to stop calling me by that ridiculous name."

"You counted, as usual." Fuuta shrugged and sighed. By that time, he and Chouko were traveling down the long, winding staircase that encircled a column like a snake constricting its prey. "Why is it that I'm not all that surprised?" He looked at his longtime friend. "Chouko, you know I'm just pulling your leg."

"Your sense of humor has always been rather strange and unimpressive, Fuuta."

"_Any_ sense of humor would be strange and unimpressive to you, Chouko. For once in your life, can't you find the time to loosen up and just have a little fun?"

"I do have a little fun."

Fuuta sighed again. "You call spending hours reading a book or doing your schoolwork _fun_, Chouko?"

"I have to commit to what is required of me," Chouko replied, her voice even more monotonous and emotionless than before, as if she was reciting a script that she was extremely bored with. "As the heir to the Hashimoto legacy, company, and fortune, I must continue to sustain my lineage."

Fuuta let out an annoyed sigh. "Stop acting like you're hypnotized or something, Chouko. We both know that's a load of bull."

Chouko stopped before she could reach the base of the staircase; she began to ponder Fuuta's words.

Being the daughter of a wealthy businessman, and a member of the city's prestigious upper class, surprisingly did not grant Chouko any outstanding merits, as she felt like she didn't truly belong in such a community. After all, her parents were never really there for her because of their work, she was a social outcast at the private school she attended, and even outside of school did she not have any friends, except for Fuuta Ukiyo and his mother Junna, one of the housemaids.

It was definitely not much of a pleasurable life, and Chouko might've as well escaped from the bleak, meaningless requirements it demanded. She really would have. That is, if it were not for her strict and demanding father, who had the whole police department clutched in his hand and would undoubtedly use all of his influence on them to move heaven and Earth in their efforts to find her and bring her back to him.

It was therefore most logical for Chouko to merely play out her part, with the hope of some sort of miraculous intervention.

"But what else can I do?" she asked, her voice laced with a tone of complete resignation as she looked at the floor blankly. "I have no expectations that I could truly call my own. Without the name of Hashimoto, I am..._nothing_." Her eyes softened as she narrowed them. "But with the name of Hashimoto, though, I'm the future owner and CEO of Japan's largest multimedia corporation, also one of the largest in the world, and in addition, all of the other successful businesses and enterprises in which my father holds the majority of their stocks." She looked up at Fuuta. "What else do I have to do?"

"You have your crazy-good piano skills!" exclaimed Fuuta, who was evidently becoming increasingly frustrated.

"One can only go so far with such skills."

"And that person will be YOU. I've heard you play, Chouko! People would go absolutely NUTS with you! Concerts would be sold out because everyone would-"

"Stop," Chouko interrupted coldly.

"No, I am NOT gonna end this talk again like this! Chouko, you-"

"I said _stop_."

"I am _serious_, Chouko-"

"_Stop_."

"We both know that your dad just has his head _way_ too up in his ass for him to know-"

"Fuuta Ukiyo."

However, the latest sentence was spoken by someone else. Fuuta's blood ran as cold as the Arctic the moment he heard the booming, masculine voice. With a fearful squeak, the teenage boy looked behind him and saw the towering figure of Sadahiro Hashimoto looking down upon him, a tight frown on his face.

"Uhhhhh..." Fuuta's eyes widened, and his lower jaw was sliding further open by the minute. "H-H-He-Hey... G-Good morning, Hashimoto-sensei..."

Sadahiro let out a dissatisfied snort. "Well, I must say that I'm surprised to hear such deplorable nonsense being sputtered by the son of my best maid, and in the process of an especially lovely morning like this." He then looked at Chouko, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "And what's this about piano skills, Chouko? Please tell me you aren't messing around with Junna-san's piano again. How many times have I told you that you are _forbidden_ to play it?!"

"Twenty-two times, Father," Chouko replied honestly; Fuuta sweat-dropped at her honesty.

"How many times must I keep telling you this, over and over again, before you finally listen to your senses, Chouko?" asked Sadahiro, crossing his arms. "Fifty? A hundred? A _thousand_?" He sighed and shook his head with disapproval. "A Hashimoto has no use for a mere instrument like a piano."

"A Hashimoto has complete and unanimous use for controlling the media and the entertainment industry, the two most pivotal things in today's Japan," Chouko replied. However, once again, it sounded more like she was reciting from a script that she was dissatisfied with.

Fuuta narrowed his eyes in anger, but Sadahiro smiled proudly.

"Exactly," Sadahiro replied proudly. "Now, I can only hope you remember those words the next time you approach Junna-san's piano, is that clear?"

"Yes, Father. It is as clear as a crystal."

"Good. Now come. Your breakfast is getting cold. We don't want Junna's work to go to waste."

The two teenagers followed Sadahiro towards the kitchen. As they did so, Chouko felt Fuuta approach her.

"What the hell, Chouko?" he whispered angrily. "You haven't even played the piano recently!"

"Yes, I am aware of that, Fuuta," she replied calmly.

"Then why'd you set yourself up like that?! You could've just told him the truth!"

"Yes, I am aware of that. It was just illogical to disappoint him."

Fuuta's eyes widened in horror at her response. "I-I-_Illogical_?"

"Yes, illogical. Say I were to indulge Father in the truth. He would then direct all of his rage at you for the derogatory statement you made about him. You would be subjected to his special punishment of running around the manor's perimeter for hours on end, without ever stopping, and I can remember your displeasure at such a punishment. In addition, he would possibly launch aspersions against your mother, the one who is educating you and shaping your behavior."

"I'd take all of _that_ over you taking a fall for something you never did, Chouko! At least _that_ would've been the truth!"

"Arguing with me isn't going to rectify what transpired, Fuuta. It is fruitless. Let's just let it go and enjoy our breakfast."

Fuuta was silent as the three entered the large kitchen, where Chouko's mother, as well as the butlers and maids of the house, were already gathered.

"What was with the delay?" Chouko's mother, a petite woman who shared her daughter's hair, asked.

"Oh, I was just giving Chouko another lecture about using Junna-san's piano," replied Sadahiro. "She just admitted to playing it again."

The mother shook her head in disapproval. "What is this, the thirtieth time your father lectured you about the piano, Chouko?"

"Twenty-second, actually," Chouko said indifferently.

"Oh no, please Hashimoto-sensei!" exclaimed a maid who was sitting beside Fuuta; she was stocky and had short yellow hair, with a kind and pleasurable face. "Chouko-chan is perfectly free to play my piano whenever she desires. There is no harm that can come from her doing so."

"I appreciate your kindness, Junna-san," Sadahiro replied courteously, "I really do, but my daughter has way too much precious time on her hands to be able to concern herself with such trivial matters like playing your piano. She is now sixteen, a really important age for her. At this point, she must start preparing herself for what awaits her: a world of business, success, and vast influence." He patted Chouko's head fondly as he smiled. "As a Hashimoto, it is rather traditional for members of our lineage to prepare themselves at such an age, with no other concerns; it has always been that way ever since her great-great-grandfather."

"I understand, Hashimoto-sensei, but-"

Sadahiro's voice was much stern this time. "Again, I appreciate your kindness, Junna-san, but I've already spoken on the matter. Chouko has a bright future on her way, and under no circumstances can, or should it be hindered. Now, let us not disturb this breakfast any further and resume, shall we?"

"Yes, Hashimoto-sensei..."

Chouko watched as Junna sat down, a glimmer of disappointment in her eyes. She briefly looked at Fuuta and saw that he was glaring back at her scathingly.

_"I know you're infuriated, Fuuta. __My apologies. It was just..._illogical_. That's all."_

* * *

**Bedroom of Kimiko Nishimura  
****Nishimura Household**

Kimiko Nishimura groaned with frustration as the ringing of her alarm clock pierced the silent atmosphere of her bedroom, disturbing her tranquil sleep. Turning over on her side, she lifted her arm and slammed it down on the clock, deactivating the alarm. Then, she turned over on her other side and, with a sigh of relief, resumed her sleep. She just didn't have the time to wake up, especially not on a nice, warm weekend day like this.

Preoccupied with her tranquil sleep, she barely heard the door to her bedroom open. But once she registered what the sound was, she knew it was too late.

"WAKE UP, WAKE UP, ONEE-CHAN!" a boy shouted in her ear. "WAKE UP!"

"AGH!" Kimiko screamed in surprise as she quickly sat up on her bed. Then, she glared angrily at her younger brother, Kaisei, who was giggling. "KAISEI-CHAN! My GOD! I _told_ you not to wake me up like that!" She rubbed her ear as Kaisei's giggles turned into laughter. "You're gonna blow out my eardrum next time..."

"You weren't waking up, Onee-chan," Kaisei replied, struggling to hold back his giggles. "I thought I'd help out. Besides, you're funny whenever you're angry!"

Kimiko let out a heavy sigh of annoyance. For his entire life, Kaisei was always the type of person who wouldn't get upset so easily, instead laughing or getting confused in the face of a situation. It was admittedly both adorable and annoying at the same time. Kimiko looked up at Kaisei again and, noticing his wide and bright smile, smiled back. It didn't matter either way; annoying or not, she just couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"Well, thank you for waking me up," she said as she continued to rub her ear.

Kaisei's smile widened. "You're welcome! Now come on, Onee-chan, it's breakfast time! Naomi and Tamika are waiting for us downstairs!"

Kimiko's smile instantly faded. She remembered the fight she and Naomi had last night, and hoped that Naomi forgot all about it...

She felt a hand clutch hers, and saw that it was Kaisei's. He smiled at her and said encouragingly, "Come on, Onee-chan!"

Obliging, Kimiko yawned before standing up and following her brother downstairs. The two of them entered the kitchen, where Kimiko's younger sisters Naomi and Tamika were already seated at the table. Tamika noticed the two enter and smiled toward Kimiko in greeting, but Kimiko noticed that Naomi was looking at her breakfast again, absorbed in her own mind, her dyed-black hair falling down her shoulders and obscuring most of her face from view.

"Good morning, Onee-chan!" Tamika greeted. "Dad had to leave early for work again, so it's just us."

"YAY!" exclaimed Kaisei, hopping up and down energetically. "That means more playtime for us, since it's summer and we can't go to school!"

"I don't think I can play with you right now, Kaisei-chan," Kimiko replied modestly. "I have some club stuff to take care of."

"Awwwww! Onee-chan, you're always doing stuff even if it's summer!"

"Trust me, Kaisei, by supervising the club will it be able to help thousands of people worldwide. What if I decide to play with you while some poor person on the opposite side of the world starves, having no food or drinks nearby, nor the money to get any, and they die because of that? Would you like that, Kaisei?"

Kaisei frowned pitifully, and then crossed his arms, puffed out his cheeks, and replied stubbornly, "When I become in charge of the world, everyone will get a lot of money so then they can buy their own food and drinks." Then, he looked up at Kimiko, beaming. "Then I'll finally be able to play with you all the time, just like the good old times!" He began hopping up and down in excitement. "Just you wait, world! One day, I'll be in charge of the world!"

Kimiko chuckled at her brother's bubbly enthusiasm and ruffled his hair. "Well then, your almighty highness, if you wanna become in charge of the world, I think that you should better start eating your breakfast! A strong and mighty ruler always eats his breakfast so then he can remain strong and mighty!"

She suddenly heard Naomi scoff and looked at her, only to see that she was still looking absentmindedly at her breakfast.

Dismissing it, Kimiko sat down. Kaisei did as well and was about to eat his breakfast when Kimiko said, "Uh-uh! We have to pray first!"

"Oh, that's right!" replied Kaisei. "Uh, is it my turn?"

"Yep. Lead us if you will, Kaisei-chan."

Kaisei nodded, closed his eyes, and clasped his hands together; the others followed suit. "Dear Lord, thank you very much for this cool breakfast that's in front of us, and please make sure we have a happy and fun day. Then again, every day's a happy and fun day, but still, please make sure of that! Pretty please? Oh, and please take care of all the poor people on the opposite side of the world. They're starving, and they're thirsty. Thank you!"

He was about to conclude the prayer, but then, he quickly remembered something and added, "Oh, and please make sure that when I grow up, I could become in charge of the world so then I can do all of your stuff and you can take a break. Maybe you can start playing with your son now!"

Kimiko and Tamika tried their best to suppress their giggles.

_"Oh Lord, please know that my brother's a little cuckoo, don't mind him,"_ Kimiko thought jokingly.

"Amen," Kaisei said.

"Amen," added Kimiko and Tamika.

"Itadakimasu," they recited before eating their breakfasts.

A few seconds in, however, Kimiko heard the phone ring. Knowing who was calling, she ran over to the phone and answered it.

"Hey, Naotatsu-kun," she greeted.

"Morning, Kimmie," replied the voice of the club's Vice-President, Naotatsu Yunokawa. "Just so you know, there's been a little change of plans. The club meeting has been moved to my house. Ginga's parents had to call in the contractor to fix something in the house. Hopefully you remember where I live."

"How could I forget it? That garden of yours sure knows how to leave an imprint on my mind."

"Hey, don't insult my mom's gardening! She worked hard on- Nah, I'm kidding; my mom's gardening _is_ crap." There was a brief silence. "Uh..._nothing_, Mom..."

Kimiko giggled; Naotatsu's antics really amused her sometimes. It had been quite a surprise for her the moment she knew he became the Vice-President of her club and would therefore be leading it alongside her, since he was well-known in school for not being the most reliable person. But as the past year progressed and Naotatsu was able to prove his worth as a leader, Kimiko now trusted him completely with the club's activities.

"Anyway," he continued, "that's the news. Think you've got it?"

"Yeah, I've got it," replied Kimiko. "Oh, and when you see Ginga, be sure to tell him that his parents desperately need to get themselves a new contractor. You know, this marks the tenth time in a row that our meeting had to be interrupted all because of something going wrong with his house."

"Gotcha, Kimmie. Bye."

"Bye."

Kimiko hung up the phone, just as Kaisei approached her, a giddy look on his face, which could only signal his trademark mischief.

"Was that Naotatsu-san?" he asked, smiling widely.

"Yes," replied Kimiko.

"I like him. I can't wait till he becomes my Onii-chan. Can it happen, Onee-chan, pretty please?!"

Kimiko's eyes widened in alarm; Kaisei always had this extremely strange impression that she liked Naotatsu and vice-versa. She knew it had to stem from the time he stopped by for an update on the club activities, only to wind up being antagonized by Kaisei, who initially thought he was an intruder and thus chased him around until Kimiko calmed him down. Since then, Kaisei had greatly enjoyed Naotatsu's company immensely.

"I'll-I'll see about that..." she stuttered nervously.

Ignoring her younger brother's celebrating over the announcement, she prepared to return to the table when she saw that Naomi was eating all her breakfast quickly. However, before she can say anything about it, Naomi had already finished her breakfast and quickly stood up from the table, preparing to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kimiko asked, stopping Naomi in her tracks.

"Nowhere," replied Naomi quietly.

"Please tell me you're not gonna play those games again."

Naomi glared at her defensively. "So what if I am?"

"Don't you remember what happened a while back?"

The black-haired girl sighed in frustration and replied angrily, "I'll be _fine_, Kimiko. It's not like that incident's gonna happen again, so stop badgering me."

"Just because it hasn't happened again, doesn't mean it won't ever happen again in the future. And even if it doesn't, you still have your head in those games all the time. Why don't you just spend your spare time helping Tamika with her kendo, or playing with Kaisei-chan?"

"Why don't _you_?" Naomi snapped accusingly. "_You're_ the big sister, _you_ help Tamika and play with Kaisei-chan."

"I may be their big sister, but you're their big sister too. They're your responsibility as much as they're mine, and you're not using your responsibility-"

"And I have to..._why_? They have _you_ to depend on."

"I just said why."

Naomi's frown became more pronounced. "That's lovely. Now, if you'll excuse me, my friends are waiting me to log in."

"You're not going anywhere until you put your plate in the sink and wash it-"

"Oh, shut up, _Onee-chan_," interrupted Naomi nastily. "Stop acting like Mom, 'cause you're not her."

"I may not be Mom, but as the eldest child, and the eldest sister, I have to fill in her role as best as I can."

Naomi's eyes narrowed angrily, and she clenched her teeth. "Oh, there you go again, asserting your control and dominance again through your so-called logic! Stop telling me what to do, Kimiko; you have no right to be in control of my life! Mom would've let me do as I choose!"

"No, she wouldn't have," Kimiko replied, her anger rising, "because you're prioritizing your games over your own siblings, the ones who need you the most!"

"Again, they have YOU! Why should _I_ be needed?!"

"Because they love you!"

"No, they love YOU!"

"**STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!**"

Kimiko and Naomi looked at Tamika, who had stood up from her chair, tears dripping down her cheeks. Kaisei was also crying, which shocked Kimiko.

"You two always keep fighting!" Tamika shouted. "Always there's fighting, always! Do you have any idea how I feel about this, or Kaisei?!"

Kimiko gasped and stood up, approaching Tamika as she collapsed onto her chair and began sobbing.

"Tamika, Kaisei, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I promise you, Naomi and I won't fight again. Right, Naomi?" She looked up, but saw that Naomi was already gone. With a sigh, she walked over to the sink and retrieved paper towels, giving some to Tamika and Kaisei. Then, Kimiko glanced at Naomi's abandoned plate.

_"She still didn't even take care of her plate."_ Kimiko looked longingly at the staircase where Naomi undoubtedly disappeared at. _"Oh, Naomi. What do you think I'm doing wrong? Why do you hate me? I know I'm not Mom, but I try my best for her and for you guys. After all, I'm your big sister. I have to care for you, right?_

_"Then what am I doing wrong?"_

"O-Onee-chan?"

Kimiko looked down and met the watery eyes of Kaisei. He was tugging at her shirt like a needy child.

"Why are you and Naomi always fighting?" he asked sadly.

"I'm...I'm not really sure, Kaisei," replied Kimiko solemnly. "But just know that we still love you and Tamika. We're just...working something out."

"When will you two stop fighting?"

"I don't know, Kaisei. ...I...I really don't know. You're probably just gonna have to wait..."

Kaisei merely nodded and sadly left the kitchen, as did Tamika. Kimiko watched the two of them go before looking back up at the staircase remorsefully.

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"**

**Takahashi:** Hasumi, why can't you try out that thing you suggested?

**Hasumi:** You be careful, alright? There's killer cultists loose in the metropolis.

**Tamika:** Onee-chan? What's wrong?

**Naotatsu:** Well, I came to get you, of course. I know how much you don't like to walk alone.

**Kimiko:** Every time a new mass grave is found, all the news channels go crazy like it is the end of the world or something.

**Touya:** As said by these articles, the mainstream reporters' rhetoric seem to be aimed more towards _glorifying_ these psychos over anything else.

**Ginga:** There's no way Sadahiro Hashimoto will change the way his reporters are covering this story, even if we're backed up.

**Kimiko:** _"...T__here's absolutely no way I can stop something like that from happening again..."_

**Chapter 1: Inner Regrets**

* * *

**A/N:** So, how's that for the first chapter for my first "Angel Beats" story? Be sure to let me know in all your reviews! Criticism is welcome, but I do not want any flaming. Please be sure to use kind words, so then that can guarantee any actual improvement over any erroneous tidbits (with the exception of the old name vs. new name thing, THAT I'm gonna stick by till the very end). As for what is going to happen later on into the story, well, I obviously can't spoil you the details, but I will tell you that it's gonna be one hell of a ride! Hopefully, that is. But I'm confident that I'll enjoy this very much.

Now, before I sign off, I want everyone to know that this is my first time using Japanese terms and honorifics and such. So, if there is anyone who's well-versed in the Japanese culture and language who is also reading this story, please give me a shout-out and some advice if you see any errors or misuse of any terms. I want the dialogue of the story to be closely faithful to traditional Japanese speaking, which I'm obviously not familiar with.

Also, I just want everyone to know that there won't be another chapter for this story until early July. My family and I are going to southeast Asia for a vacation and to visit relatives living there (Philippines, to be specific). I ask you all to please be patient until I get back. It'd very much appreciated! :D

Well, hope you enjoyed this prologue! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	2. Inner Regrets

**A/N:** I'm back from my trip, everyone! Hopefully I still have all of you guys at attention. As for my trip, I actually had pretty mixed feelings about it. I loved being able to see relatives there, but the bugs there had quite a fetish for my legs, though. Swear to God, they itched like hell. :(

But, on the bright side, I'm alive and ready to dish out more chapters for y'all! :D :D :D

Anyway, on with the chapter. ENJOY!

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: INNER REGRETS**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"How about _Girl Power to the Fourth_?" suggested Takahashi. "Sounds fitting enough."

"Still doesn't fit the bill for me, Arata," Hasumi replied, shaking her head dismissively. "It...It needs to sound, like..._unique_. Rock-like!"

"_Girl Power to the Fourth_ sounds unique and rock-like, Hasumi."

"Not enough in my book, though. Besides, it sounds a bit feminist."

"So? Rock is more of a guy thing these days. If you're gonna introduce more girls than boys into rock music, then that's gonna be an accomplishment for you!"

"Just because that is so doesn't mean I want a fan-base that's mostly girls. I envisioned it to be more gender-balanced."

"Well, _Girl Power to the Fourth_ is the best I have right now, Hasumi. I'm sorry."

A few minutes ago, as Takahashi and Hasumi gathered the newspapers needed for their respective paper routes, they began this conversation. Being a big fan of rock music, Hasumi made it her lifelong goal to start a rock band of her own. During her high school years, she managed to find all the members she needed to further her dream, and now, she needed a name for the band to take her goal one step further. Takahashi volunteered to help her out on that a while back.

However, that was almost a month ago, and neither of them were anywhere close to finding a good name.

Takahashi sighed and said, "Hasumi, why can't you try out that thing you suggested? _Girls Dead Monster_? It sounded pretty good; you said so yourself!"

Hasumi shook her head in disapproval. "Remember, I changed my mind on that. It no longer fits for me."

"Why not? I think it's an excellent name for an excellent band like yours!"

"Heh. You haven't even listen to our music, Arata."

Takahashi crossed his arms. "I plan to do so once you finish writing a song you guys are proud of! Now, what's wrong with _Girls Dead Monster_? Don't tell me-"

"No, it's not because it's a feminist-sounding name," Hasumi interrupted. "I just...I just don't like it."

"And why not?"

"...Not sure," Hasumi replied quickly as she stacked the last of her newspapers in her bicycle basket. "Alright, that's the last of my newspapers. Guess I should be taking my leave now." She glanced at the stack of newspapers Takahashi was carrying. "Is that all of the newspapers for your paper route?"

"Yeah, that should be all of 'em," Takahashi replied. Then, he noticed Hasumi's worried expression. "Don't _worry_, Hasumi. I counted them all."

"Hopefully you counted correctly. We don't want a repeat of last week."

Takahashi chuckled, remembering the fond memory of last week's incident, which involved Hasumi's father throwing a rather huge fit at him.

"Oh thanks, Hasumi, for the concern."

Hasumi smiled brightly in response. "Hey, anything for a good friend like you."

Takahashi's face turned into a bright shade of red as soon as he heard her latest sentence, but fortunately for him, Hasumi did not notice. He got on his bicycle, waved goodbye to her, and prepared to start pedaling when the teenager suddenly heard Hasumi's voice call out to him.

"Arata!"

Takahashi looked behind him. "Yeah, Hasumi?"

"You be careful, alright? There's killer cultists loose in the metropolis."

Takahashi chuckled as he put on his helmet. "Oh, don't you worry about me, Hasumi." He pointed an index finger to himself in full confidence. "I'm not scared of any bloodthirsty cultists. It is the _cultists_ that are scared of me." He watched as his friend and crush giggled at his confidence. "Hey, you are looking at a kendo master here, Hasumi! I can perfectly handle myself against a whole bunch of those wackos!" He scoffed as she continued to giggle. "Bye!"

"Bye!" replied Hasumi teasingly, waving at him as she approached her own bicycle.

"_Girls Dead Monster_ rocks!"

"No, it doesn't, Arata!"

Takahashi sighed in defeat and shook his head as he started pedaling down the sidewalks of Nishitōkyō, heading towards the nearby suburbs that were a part of his usual paper route. As he did so, he began to think about Hasumi and the way she seemed to quickly dismiss the title of _Girls Dead Monster_.

_"It sounds like a great name for her band,"_ he thought. _"I wonder why she's so certain that's not the name for her."_ Then, he smiled as a brand-new thought came to him. _"Hey, wait a minute, she told me to be _careful_. ...Hey, she cares for my well-being! She's _concerned _about me!"_

He struggled to contain his inner joy at receiving such attention from his crush.

* * *

**Near the suburbs  
The outskirts of ****Nishitōkyō**

After exiting the main city and entering the outskirts, Takahashi found himself passing by the new school that opened up last year. The redheaded teenage boy glared towards it, feeling some sort of unfulfilled emotion tucked in the pit of his stomach. Since it was Sunday, the usual activity inside the school grounds was completely nonexistent, but even with all the noises of the students, it seemed to give off some sort of tranquil feeling that comforted Takahashi.

He couldn't understand why he found himself liking the school. It could have something to do with its elaborate design: it consisted of three separate buildings, each with three stories and a teal roof, with a bridge linking all three. But Takahashi wasn't a big fan of school, even if the school building was nicely designed.

There had to be something else to the school that appealed to him. After all, he definitely wasn't a student there. No, he didn't fit its..._criteria_. And he never will.

As soon as the school vanished from sight, Takahashi focused his thoughts back onto his paper route. At this point, he was almost late. His salary depended on whether or not people would be reading the newspapers that he delivered to them. Stopping alongside a stoplight of a four-way intersection, he waited for all the cars present to pass by. To pass the time, he quickly checked the pile of newspapers he had to see if he indeed have the right number. And indeed, he did.

Sighing with boredom, he looked up, only to see that he still wasn't allowed to cross.

_"Oh, what luck,"_ he thought bitterly as he stood up from his bike and leaned it against the pole. _"And it _has _to be straight in the middle of goddamn rush hour..."_

Tapping his foot impatiently, Takahashi took a quick glance at his wristwatch. To his complete displeasure, it was almost 9:30 A.M. During that point of time, the people living on his paper route would be leaving their houses to gather their newspapers. Being late to work definitely didn't help him beat the time.

Looking up and seeing that there were still cars crossing the street, Takahashi sighed in defeat. It looked like he had to use the alternate route.

Getting on his bicycle, he quickly sped down an adjacent sidewalk, away from the four-way intersection. After pedaling for several yards, Takahashi finally came across an area that was fenced off, barring anyone from getting across and entering the construction site on the other side.

Or, at least, it was _trying_ to bar off people.

Takahashi got off his bicycle, removed his helmet, and approached a clump of tall grass and moved it aside, revealing a decent-sized hole left on the fence. With relative ease, he crawled through the hole, pulling the bicycle with him. Then, he positioned the grass blades to cover up the hole in such a way that it wouldn't be seen on both sides of the fence. As soon as that was done, Takahashi quickly hid behind a small pile of steel pipes and took a peek from the other corner to see if there was any workers present in the construction site. To his relief, there was no one there. It was morning hours, after all.

Takahashi stood up, hopped back on his bicycle, and started pedaling across the site. He remembered using this construction site twice before as an alternate route when he was about to be late in delivering the newspapers. Both times he used it, the job was done more quickly, more efficiently.

Takahashi knew he was trespassing in a place a kid like him really shouldn't be. However, he took pride in the fact that he was a risk-taker, and as such, it was only natural for him to resort to utilizing this outrageous strategy. And besides, it was either being late in the delivery and subsequently facing the wrath of his unbearable boss, or not being late in the delivery and getting off the hook. And he knew which option was more appealing over the other.

"The _Ka_... The _Ka_ is here..."

Takahashi immediately stopped and looked around. He knew there wasn't supposed to be anyone working in the site today.

"H-Hello?" he called.

Silence. Then, as he was about to resume his pedaling...

"The Almighty _Ka_... The fires of his rage shall scorch all the nonbelievers!"

"W-What the _hell_?" whispered Takahashi, feeling dread welling up inside him.

Then, he watched as several figures, possibly dozens, quietly stepped out of every nook and cranny one could possibly think of at a construction site, a strange chant filling the air as they did so. All of them were wearing cloaks that were colored in many different shades and ancient-looking emblems: some wore scarlet and had dark-red emblems of fire, others wore dark-blue and had blue emblems of water droplets, others with brown and had yellow emblems of spheres with X's at the center, others with silver and white emblems of what appeared to be wind, and finally some who wore gold with light-blue emblems of..._fire_, perhaps?

Takahashi gulped in fear. He knew this had to be the cult he kept hearing about in the news recently. Unfortunately, he never really paid attention to what they were saying about it; it was common knowledge to about everyone else that they were psychos and plain bad news.

_"Oh, God,"_ he thought. _"Please don't let them kill me..."_

The cultists finally stopped about a yard away from him, surrounding him in a tight circle. Takahashi felt his heart pound viciously against his sternum, the beads of his sweat dripping down his face, his neck, staining his shirt. He began mentally cursing himself for deciding to take this risk in the first place...

"Almighty _Ka_!" one of the cultists shouted dramatically, his arms outstretched in a glorious manner.

"M-M-_Me_?..." Takahashi replied. "Um...look, man, I don't want any trouble, I swear-"

"Almighty _Ka_, we have prayed day and night for your gracious return!" another cultist suddenly interrupted.

"W-What? R-_Return_? _Ka_?"

"Now, we beg of you!" cried a third cultist as he wept in joy. "Spread your ravaging fire, eradicate all the nonbelievers! Send them all to the depths of Hell!"

"Uh... _Uh_..." Takahashi didn't know what to think of this nonsense they were giving him. "Spread your..._fire_? I-I-"

To his surprise, several of the cultists slowly parted, giving him an easy route of escape. Then, all of them bowed, still chanting eerily, with the exception of one, who was wearing a gold cloak. This cultist pointed off to the same direction as where his colleagues parted. Takahashi noticed for the first time that this cultist, unlike the others, was holding a candle that wasn't lit...and had a dead rabbit hanging as some sort of necklace...

_"Oh my freaking God, no..."_

"Go, _Ka_! Show the nonbelievers the consequences of denying your very existence! Show them what happens to those who commit such felonious crimes!"

Realizing that the cultists were intending to let him go (hopefully), Takahashi immediately decided to seize the opportunity.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be sure to do that," he quickly replied before pedaling off. He continued to hear the cultists chant, all the way until he finally managed to reach the opposite end of the construction site. Once he did, Takahashi stopped his bicycle and leaned against a nearby pole. "Oh, thank _God_... Goddamn it..."

Once his heartbeat steadied itself, and he stopped sweating, he looked back and sighed with relief. It didn't seem that none of the cultists had followed him.

_"Note to self,"_ he thought, _"pick a better alternate route. There's no way in _hell _am I going through that construction site ever again."_

Takahashi then resumed pedaling off towards the suburbs, all the while contemplating over if he should call the police or not. After all, the cult was wanted for several murders across the metropolis. He was planning on doing so, but then...he wondered what would happen if he actually did. Could his safety from them be guaranteed? He didn't even know how many members there were in that cult, let alone if the police was capable of tracking all of them down.

And if he exposed the cult, then that could mean a whole lot of danger for himself and the ones he cared about...

Hasumi...

It was too big of a risk, even for him to handle. He knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't.

That was what Takahashi concluded as he finally reached the suburbs and carelessly tossed his first newspaper of the day towards the closest house.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"Goddamn paper boys..." Kimiko growled to herself as she heard the newspaper hit her front door. "Have they no decency at all?"

With a heavy sigh of disapproval, the teenage girl unlocked the front door, opened it, and stepped outside. Looking down at the newspaper, her eyes widened, and she let out a gasp of horror. On the cover page, the headline read in unnecessarily bold and capitalized letters 'KILLER CULT STRIKES AGAIN: YET ANOTHER MASS GRAVE UNCOVERED'. Accompanying this was a photo of the crime scene...as horrible and sickening as usual...

Her skin began to pale as memories flashed across her mind...

"Onee-chan?" a voice piped. Gasping, Kimiko turned around and saw Tamika standing behind her. "What's wrong? I heard you gasp and...why's your skin _pale_?"

Kimiko gulped and waved her hands frantically in dismissal. "Oh, it's nothing. There was a, uh, a...a bee flying around in front of my face! But it's gone now!"

Tamika was easily convinced by the lie; she knew that her older sister had a huge fear of bees. Nodding in understanding, she walked forward; Kimiko noticed that she had her kendo equipment with her. "Well, I gotta go, Onee-chan," she said. "Kendo practice is in a few minutes and I can't afford to be late."

"Yeah...Yeah..." Kimiko replied, more focused on if Tamika will spot the newspaper or not. "Well...see you..."

"Yeah, see you!" Tamika said, waving at her before running off the front porch and toward the adjacent sidewalk. As soon as Tamika followed the sidewalk and went out of sight, Kimiko looked down at the newspaper and sighed in relief; her sister didn't seem to notice it.

_"Good. That way, she doesn't have to learn about all those horrors..."_

Her eyes suddenly narrowed upon realizing the situation. Every single day, every headline, every top story, it was all about this cult of psychos and murderers, making their undeserved mark in history. A couple of days into the first coverage of that cult, there have either been copycat crimes or stupid people striving to join it in their quest of so-called salvation from some mythical deity or deities. About half of the words she saw every day had something to do with that cult.

And it was all so sickening. It was as if the media was intentionally _glorifying_ these disturbed wackos. And to each action was a reaction. After all, following each piece of coverage were more murders, more brutal than the last ones. And more mass graves to be found all around the country.

Blinded with rage, Kimiko angrily picked up the newspaper, held it tightly, and, with a loud yell, threw it on the opposite side of the street, watching as it landed on the front lawn of the house located opposite of hers. Then, clarity quickly returned, and she looked around the house to see if Kaisei heard her scream; she knew that Naomi couldn't have possibly heard anything, since she was so busy playing her online games and probably wouldn't care if she did hear something.

Fortunately, she didn't hear her younger brother respond in any way, so she let out a relieved sigh.

Turning around, Kimiko found herself facing Naotatsu Yunokawa.

"AGH!" she screamed.

Naotatsu immediately started laughing. "Gotcha, Kimmie!" he exclaimed.

Growling, Kimiko thrust up her knee, hitting him in his private area, a favorite punishment of hers. Naotatsu yowled in pain and crumpled to the floor.

"Serves you right, creep," she snarled.

"I didn't even intend to scare you..." moaned Naotatsu. "I was just coming up to you when you faced me and got freaked out..."

"Well, you could've announced your presence better." Kimiko crossed her arms. "What're you doing here, Naotatsu?"

"Well, I came to get you, of course. I know how much you don't like to walk alone."

Kimiko narrowed her eyes and lightly kicked him playfully while he was still down. "Not too loud, Naotatsu! Kaisei-chan might hear..."

"So what?" Naotatsu asked as he stood up, rubbing the place where she kicked him. "It's understandable, considering these scary times today-"

"I need to be strong for them," she interrupted. "If they think of me as vulnerable, then how will they expect me to defend them if something happens?"

"Everyone's vulnerable, Kimiko. It just depends on how people see your way of treat your own vulnerability. You have always been their strong, cool big sister. So what if they know you're a bit afraid of walking by yourself? They can easily overlook it because they know you love them and you'll do anything for them."

"Always the philosopher, huh?" Kimiko replied, although her tone was bitter. She closed the door and locked it. "Come on, let's go."

Naotatsu sighed heavily and followed her off the front porch and onto the adjacent sidewalk. As he did, Kimiko got an idea, one that she found quite brilliant.

"Hey, Naotatsu?"

"Yeah, Kimmie?"

"What's the topic for our meeting today?"

"The preservation of aquatic wildlife. Why?"

"Let's switch topics; we've done enough aquatic wildlife preservation."

Naotatsu was taken aback by this suggestion. "Wh-What? Well...what do you suggest we do instead?"

"I suggest that we take up the issue of media sensationalism."

"Media sensationalism?"

"I find it a really big problem that the news seems to report a lot on that psycho cult. Every time a new mass grave is found, all the news channels go crazy like it is the end of the world or something. Every day, I keep hearing about that cult and how horrible, how inhumane, how monstrous their crimes are. But must I be reminded of that every single day? Hell no. And worse yet, I feel that with all of this attention, the cult gets more and more bolder, more brutal with all those murders. If they aren't doing all of these monstrosities for whatever they're worshiping, then I'd say they're doing this for the attention."

"Well...you've got a good point with that..." Then, Naotatsu sighed. "But really, how long has it been since the last time the media listened to cries against it?"

Kimiko glared at him, an eyebrow raised. "Your point being?"

"Telling the media to change the way they are reporting is like telling a squirrel to climb to the top of that Union Tower in America, get a watermelon, and come back down. It-It can't be done, Kimiko. Plus, we're still in high school. That fact alone will unanimously screw our argument over to the other side."

"The only thing impossible is impossibility, Naotatsu-kun."

"That's from an American cartoon show, Kimmie."

"If the media's not gonna listen-" Kimiko made a determined fist. "Then we'll have to _make_ them listen. It's not like that isn't the first time we've done it, right?"

"But this is a completely different issue we're talking about, Kimmie... We're talking about the media _itself_-"

"Look, we are only gonna change their reporting on the cult, nothing else," interrupted Kimiko. "They can do whatever they want with any other story, but with this particular story, their reporting on it is almost overzealous, and such coverage might be a factor in the cult's crimes. And if that's actually true, then we both seem to be the only ones who have the idea of stopping them before anymore blood is shed. Now, come on!"

Kimiko grabbed Naotatsu's hand and quickened her pace, causing him to sigh as they walked faster.

_"Oh, Kimiko-san,"_ he thought. _"Always the outspoken one, aren't you?"_ Then, he subconsciously cracked a dreamy smile. _"But I guess that's what I like about you."_

* * *

**Yunokawa Household  
Current Meeting Place of the Global Awareness Club**

Approaching the front door of Naotatsu's house, Kimiko knocked on it thrice in quick succession. A few seconds later, it opened, revealing the face of Naotatsu's younger brother Yuuji, who was also a member of the club, although the membership was on his own request, since he wasn't even attending high school yet.

"Hey, guys," he greeted. "You're just in time too; we're about to get started!"

Nodding, Kimiko stepped inside the house, quickly followed by Naotatsu. After removing their shoes, the two teenagers stepped into the living room, which was occupied by several other teenagers their age. There was Rikana Egami, the secretary of the club; Hozumi Karubo, their treasurer; Touya Hamada, their master researcher; members Ginga Matsushina, Hiroto Sekozawa, Sachiyo Sugisata, Tyler Kendall, Fuyumi Royama, and...

Kimiko blinked, for she did not recognize one of the present members, a pink-haired girl who seemed to be around her age. She seemed to have a consistently shy expression on her face. This expression became stronger the moment Kimiko looked at her; the girl blushed and started stuttering already.

"Hey, who are you?" she asked. "I haven't seen you in any of the previous club meetings."

"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Ginga, standing up. "That's my sister, Yumisa-chan, but we like to call her Yumie. I thought she'd join this club."

"H-Hi..." Yumie whispered, her voice barely audible to those nearby.

Kimiko smiled in response. "Oh hi, Yumie! Glad to see you join our circle!" She looked at the other members. "I hope that everyone gave her a warm welcome."

"Hi, Yumie," chanted the others, almost as if they were in singsong. "Welcome to the Global Awareness Club!"

Yumie's blushed promptly strengthened, and she began to shrink in the chair she was sitting on. It apparently didn't seem to help her one bit when the others, sans Ginga, also began introducing themselves to her; she was definitely an introverted person. As soon as the introductions were done, Kimiko then sat down in an unoccupied chair, with everyone coming to full attention; Touya quickly pulled out his personal laptop for reference.

"Alright, everyone," she announced. "Now that the introductions are out of the way and Yumie is a part of our circle, let get things underway."

"What's your latest strategy in preserving the aquatic environment, leader?" asked Rikana.

Kimiko shook her head. "Naotatsu and I have officially decided to scratch that topic. We've done enough as it is."

The others immediately went into a frenzy.

"WHAT?!"

"Why'd you decide to change your mind on that?"

"I _loved_ making efforts in preserving the aquatic environment!"

"Settle down, settle down, guys," said Kimiko gently, calming down the others. "Fortunately, we've decided to tackle another topic, one we never did before."

"And what would that be?" Sachiyo asked.

"Media sensationalism."

"Media sen- _What_?" asked Ginga, a confused expression on his face.

Kimiko sighed; she had forgotten that some of the club's members weren't good with big words. "In other words," she explained, "we make the public aware of the media's portrayal of that killer cult that's been active for the past couple of months, which I feel is over-saturation."

"That killer cult?" Hiroto repeated. "Why should we be expressing any concern about _that_? I mean, don't we need the news to tell us where their members are usually active, and also what to do if we came across them? That information is much more helpful than it is hurtful."

"Yes, but the news has barely done any of the sort. The main news channel even ignores those facts altogether. Touya-san, can our laptop vouch for that?"

Recognizing his cue, Touya immediately began typing and clicking away on his laptop. It didn't take long until he spoke.

"Kimiko-san's right, guys," he said. "Police recently released a map showing where cult members are suspected to usually operate at, but many news channels are neglecting in sharing these details to the public, for whatever reason. In fact, I was only able to find these maps on public forums." Touya glanced upwards. "Not only that, but I also came across a couple of amateur news articles that make good points about how the media was handling the entire cult story. As said by these articles, the mainstream reporters' rhetoric seem to be aimed more towards _glorifying_ these psychos over anything else."

Kimiko crossed her arms. "And there we have it. So-"

"Wait a minute," Ginga interrupted. "Who wrote those so-called amateur news articles? What are your sources, Touya."

"Well, they all came from anti-government websites-"

"Since when have we sided with points made by anti-government nuts?" he asked suddenly, his eyes wide. "That'd just make us look bad in the public's eyes!"

"Like we didn't look bad enough in the eyes of the public," replied Kimiko. "Remember that protest we did against that cosmetics company last year? The media just twisted around the words we said during that day. They made us look like a ragtag bunch of teen activists or something!"

"We _are_ a ragtag bunch of teen activists though, Kimiko," Naotatsu piped.

"Maybe so, Naotatsu, but we were right about that cosmetics company. Everyone was. See, this is another problem I have with the news. Practically everyone knew way before we did that the cosmetics company was conducting illegal experiments, but the media continued to stick up for the bad guy. And history's now repeating itself with the story of the psycho cult! Too many unnecessary details of their crimes, this apparent fascination with whatever they're worshiping, and sensationalist rhetoric!" Kimiko made a determined fist. "And it's gone on for too long! Therefore, I suggest we make the public aware of this! Who's with me?"

Everyone was silent, and several looked at one another nervously. Finally, Touya raised his hand slightly to catch Kimiko's attention.

"I understand your argument, leader," he said, "but...I don't think this'll work out for us in the end."

"And why not, Touya-san?" asked Kimiko, unconvinced.

"I-I mean...this is the _media_ we're talking about. It's not like Western media, where it can change if enough people protest with good reason. The only way this problem's gonna be solved is if the higher staff decides to make the change, and on their own accord, not on behalf of the public. And...we all know how that'll turn out..." He looked down at his laptop regretfully before looking up. "I'm sorry, leader, but it just can't be done. It's impossible."

Kimiko narrowed her eyes, for she knew exactly what Touya was talking about.

_"Goddamn Sadahiro Hashimoto,"_ she thought hatefully.

"Yeah, Touya-san's right," Ginga said. "There's no way Sadahiro Hashimoto will change the way his reporters are covering this story, even if we're backed up."

"Same here," Rikana added, raising her hand. "I vote against this proposal." She looked at Kimiko remorsefully. "Sorry, leader."

Everyone else immediately raised their hands (even the shy, inattentive Yumie), until Naotatsu was left. However, as everyone else had voted against Kimiko's suggestion, he glanced at her, shrugging sorrowfully before raising his hand as well. Realizing that everyone had spoken, she sighed in defeat.

"Well, I guess everyone voted..." she said, her voice barely audible.

"Hey, don't take it so hard, leader," Sachiyo piped. "All we can do is just ignore the news, that's all."

"But how are we gonna know where those cult members might be active at?" asked Hiroto.

"You won't be able to know," Kimiko said suddenly, her voice bitter, "because for whatever reason they have, the news won't give you those facts."

"Oh, yeah... Well, I guess I can just surf those forums and search for that map Touya-san mentioned. Speaking of which, which forums did you use, Touya-san?"

As Touya explained himself to the other club members, Kimiko, her body tense, immediately left the room. Naotatsu was the only one to see her go.

_"Oh, Kimmie,"_ he thought as his eyes softened._  
_

* * *

"Damn it," snarled Kimiko as she slammed her fist on the wall of the empty kitchen. "Damn it! I should've known that this would be a bad idea..."

The teenager then looked out of the window longingly. The sun was high in the sky, without a cloud to block its light. She fondly remembered the last time she made such a marvelous sight, and the happiness and wonder that accompanied it. That was just moments before..._it_ happened...

_"And there is absolutely no way I can stop something like that from happening again..."_ Kimiko thought. _"No way..."_ At that moment, she clenched her fist and then suddenly slammed it onto the fridge, snarling furiously, "Goddamn it..." She then started banging her fist repeatedly. "Goddamn it, goddamn it, _goddamn it_!"

"Upset?" a familiar voice asked. Kimiko looked up and saw Naotatsu standing nearby.

"Oh..." Kimiko's eyes softened. "I'm sorry if I was a bit too loud for everyone's taste-"

"Oh, no hard feelings, Kimmie," replied Naotatsu. "...You know, don't think I don't know why you're taking this so seriously or anything. ...I'm really sorry-"

Kimiko suddenly scoffed. "Yeah, well, 'sorry' isn't gonna change anything, you know. If that were true, all of us would be happy a _long_ time ago." Then, she took quick notice of Naotatsu's shocked reaction and sighed pitifully. "Oh, I'm sorry, Naotatsu. I went overboard, did I?"

"Damn right you did." However, the tone of his voice was kind, gentle. "You know, Kimmie, just because everyone else says so, doesn't mean we can't fight."

The teenage girl sighed sadly. "Then how do you expect we bring attention to this kind of sensationalist reporting?"

"Well..." Naotatsu looked into the other room in caution before continuing, "I have actually done some of my own research into the country's journalism ethics."

Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "You have?" she asked.

"Well, just because I said it couldn't be done doesn't mean I didn't want to try anymore. Anyway, I noticed from the protests made against Sadahiro Hashimoto and his company were made, the participants always seem to be the average citizen. Nobodies, in other words. But if the public hears a voice from someone on the inside of the company, then maybe the argument will gain some credibility, and more people will begin to listen and stand up against the company."

"Are you talking about an employee?"

Naotatsu nodded. "Yep, an employee of Hashimoto Communications, nonetheless. And you know how silent those guys are."

Kimiko began to catch on. "But if one of us gets a job there, gets the hang of the working conditions, and then speaks out, then we're in the clear!"

"That's right!"

"But...why didn't you suggest this earlier?" Kimiko crossed her arms. "That could've been _very_ helpful, you know, Naotatsu-kun."

Naotatsu looked into the other room again before speaking, his voice significantly lowered. "Look, Ginga didn't want me to tell you this, but his mother just got a promotion in her job. And that promotion required her to be transferred into another workplace. And guess where that new workplace is."

Kimiko sighed. "Sadahiro Communications. _That's_ why Ginga was the first to protest."

"The guy no doubt believes his mom's job will be in jeopardy if we do this."

"He'll understand," said Kimiko quickly. "It's for the good of all of those who have lost their loved ones to those damn maniacs."

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"**

**Junna:** Chouko-chan, don't hesitate. You may play it as much as you like.

**Fuuta:** Chou-kee, you're so difficult...

**Takahashi:** It's nothing, Hasumi. I was just thinking about something that's happening at home.

**Hasumi:** So...newbie, huh?

**Sadahiro:** Everything is controlled by business, Chouko.

**Chouko:** You have my word on it, Father. I will never do anything to disappoint you ever again.

**Haruka:** I'm glad someone like you managed to learn my secret.

**Itagaki:** You three have been randomly selected to participate in a tour at Hashimoto Communications...

**Chapter 2: A Fateful Meeting**

* * *

**A/N:** Well, it certainly looks like we're getting a bigger sense of the conflicts suffered by Otonashi, Kanade, and Yuri (or, as we presently know them, Takahashi, Chouko, and Kimiko)! And I promise you, things have just started to unfold. If you wish to figure out what I mean by that, then stay tuned! :D

I'd like to thank the following for reviewing:

**Hammiam:** I already responded to your review in full, so I'll just say thanks and hope you enjoyed this new chapter! :D

**anissa. :** Here's that second chapter you desired so much! Hopefully this was enjoyable!

**BloodPokemon101:** Glad to see you've observed that! And that little tidbit is actually going to be further emphasized later, so expect further irony.

**MayonataKarasu:** Glad to hear you enjoy this! Here's the second chapter! :D

**Midnight4568:** Ah, so you've read my P&F fics, huh? Glad to hear I have an "Angel Beats!" fan who's already familiar with my works. Hope you enjoy! :D

Don't worry, fellas, because it's summer and I no longer have any plans for further family vacations, that means you can expect a barrage of updates! HOORAY!

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	3. A Fateful Meeting

**A/N:** Hey, everyone! Here's a new chapter from me, to you! And I guarantee you, this is gonna be very interesting, especially near the end! ENJOY!

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: A FATEFUL MEETING**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**April 18, 2026**

* * *

**The Private Library  
Hashimoto Manor**

Chouko wordlessly flipped yet another page of the business and management book she was reading. Even though the Hashimoto Manor library was large and magnificent in nature, the books it housed all had something to do with the subject of business and management. In fact, there was only one book that did not follow such a theme, and it was the records book of the Hashimoto family tree, which was constantly updated. Even at home did her father want her constantly exposed to what was expected of her in the future: managing successful businesses, the Hashimoto family tradition.

It didn't take long for Chouko to finish the page and flip to another one. She had extraordinarily fast reading skills, something that her father took great pride in out of all the other qualities she had. She also took great pride in it too. After all, what Hashimoto wouldn't be proud of themselves and their traits?...

"May I come in, Chouko-chan?" a voice piped suddenly. Chouko looked up and saw that Junna was standing at the doorway of the library.

"Be my guest, Junna-san," Chouko replied modestly. "I was just reading."

Junna nodded and entered the room, a broomstick clutched in one hand and a dustpan in the other. Without another word, the maid began cleaning the library, humming a catchy tune to herself. Chouko's attention was immediately piqued, for she knew that tune anywhere: Junna would always play it on her piano. And as much as her father had forbidden her to play Junna's piano, Chouko found herself liking that tune, much to her own surprise. In fact, she gradually managed to learn how to play it on the piano by herself whenever no one was home. She never asked what the song to that tune was, though.

Then, she found herself swaying to the tune. Mentally berating herself for committing such a violation, Chouko resumed reading. That was when Junna spoke.

"Chouko-chan?"

Chouko looked up innocently. "Yes, Junna-san?" she replied.

"Look, about what happened last week, with my piano-"

"There's no need to apologize, Junna-san. It is I who is to blame for the entire incident."

"But Fuuta told me that you haven't been playing my piano during that time, yet you lied to protect him. You shouldn't take the fall for that, honey, especially if it will result in disappointment from your father." Her eyes softened. "He loves you, and he thinks highly of you, Chouko-chan. He was rather disappointed-"

"A Hashimoto must always stand by the truth in the name of business and accept the full blow of repercussions," Chouko interrupted in a monotonous, reciting tone. "That is exactly what I did. I love to play on your piano; I stood by that truth, even if I hadn't been recently on it. I did so because Fuuta is my friend, and he didn't deserve whatever punishment that was lying ahead of him." She looked back down at her book. "Father will understand eventually."

"And...about the piano..." Junna's eyes glimmered with determination. "Chouko-chan, don't hesitate. You may play it as much as you like."

"But Father-"

Junna immediately scoffed and waved her hand with nonchalant dismissal. "Oh, to hell with what your father says, Chouko-chan; I shall cover for you! Just...for God's sake, pour your heart out into that piano!" She smiled widely, and with radiating pride. "Talents like yours shouldn't be going to waste like this!"

Chouko's eyes glimmered as she looked up again. "You...think I'm _talented_?"

"Honey, even _I_ am half as good as you are behind the piano. All the times I've ever seen you play it, I've marveled at such mastery!" Junna approached Chouko and stared down at her with her smiling, beaming face. "Chouko-chan, I hereby give you my total permission to play my piano whenever you desire!"

Chouko blinked, reluctant to make such a potentially life-changing decision. She thoroughly contemplated on the situation: on one hand, she would be finally be able to unleash her heartfelt desires onto a piano, even if her father would still disapprove; on the other, she would have to continue upholding the Hashimoto family tradition and sacred honor, which would be comparably more essential to her future, as much as she'd hate to admit it.

As a pianist, she would be able to express herself as freely as she wished, but unfortunately, there was also a rather high chance she wouldn't be able to hold down such a job for long. As a businesswoman, she would have a much more successful career that would benefit her in the long run, but unfortunately, she'd have to uphold a consistent professional behavior that was expected from her, as mandated by the job. And, of course, Chouko felt restrained by that.

After making some serious contemplation about her decision, Chouko finally replied, "...I'll think about it."

Unsatisfied with the answer, Junna opened her mouth to speak, but noticed that Chouko had immediately started reading again. Knowing better than to bother Chouko during one of her reading sessions, she merely let out a soft sigh of anger and disappointment, then resumed cleaning the library. As she did, the maid took one last glance at the silver-haired girl, wondering what she should do with her now. In the same manner as her only son, she didn't approve of Chouko's submission to all of these restraining, unsatisfactory expectations that were the constituting parts of her life.

_"Oh, Chouko,"_ she thought pitifully.

A few hours passed when Chouko left the manor library, having just finished reading the business book. Not that such an accomplishment mattered the least to her, for this marked the tenth time she did so. As she left the library, she heard Junna stop cleaning; she had a feeling the maid was watching her leave.

"Hey, Chou-kee," a familiar voice greeted.

"I request that you stop calling me by that name," Chouko replied without any evident reaction.

"I like that name better than your actual name. It rolls off the tongue more smoothly."

"Don't you have dish-washing duty to attend to right now?"

Fuuta crossed his arms, a proud, snobby expression etched on his face. "That little doozy? Finished washing them all five minutes ago. So, what do you wanna do for today, Chou-kee? Wanna go out and explore the city? We can go to that stage play you've been talking about for a while now."

"With a cult of psychotics within their membership on the loose?" replied Chouko, her face still emotionless. "I find that inadvisable." She looked at Fuuta. "And as for that stage play you mentioned, I believe it was _you_ who has been talking about it endlessly. I'm not the type who would be enchanted by the theater."

"There's a whole bunch of piano pieces involved in the play," Fuuta said encouragingly. "It would-"

"I appreciate the gesture, Fuuta, but I would rather not. On the bright side, Father _is_ taking me out to the city today. You can accompany us if you wish."

Fuuta let out a sigh and then frowned disapprovingly. "Accompany you to a board meeting for your father's company so we can have an idea on how business works? I'd rather wash all of the dishes in the WORLD, THREE TIMES over before I go and listen to one of those boring-ass meetings."

"I shall take that response as a no," Chouko replied calmly.

"Chou-kee, you're so difficult..."

Chouko didn't respond, instead maintaining the stoic expression that was on her face. Fuuta followed his friend as she entered one of the manor's many living rooms, where they found Sadahiro chatting on the phone as one of the other maids tirelessly cleaned up every nook and cranny of the room. The two stopped upon hearing the irritated tone lacing Sadahiro's voice, which gave a poisonous, intimidating quality to it. Fuuta gulped, but Chouko remained calm as usual.

"Well, apparently your tactics aren't working well enough if viewership continues maintaining an all-time low," Sadahiro snarled. "If you are unable to find a way to get the ratings for those shows back on track by the end of the week, then consider your job out of the window. You have a good day, Matsushina-san." The businessman hung up, then spotted Chouko standing in the living room. "Oh, Chouko. I assume you overheard that discussion."

"Only the last part of it, fortunately," replied Chouko indifferently.

Sadahiro sighed and continued, "One of the great difficulties in running a large corporation, Chouko. There comes a time in a businessman or businesswoman's life where consumers just lose interest in their hard-worked products. It's a severe blow, Chouko, one that is hard to recover from. When the time comes when you have such an experience, be sure to have all of your cards on the table. Do whatever you can to save your business. Understood?"

"Understood, Father." Chouko didn't notice Fuuta's face turn scarlet nearby.

Sadahiro smiled happily and replied, "That's my girl." He let out a chuckle. "You know, even on days like these where things don't go in my favor, you somehow always find a way to cheer me up, Chouko." He stood up, straightening out the suit he was wearing. "Well, I think it's time to go. You ready?"

For a very brief moment, Chouko had her mind focused on the catchy tune Junna was humming back at the manor library. That then turned into a fantasy of her playing it on a piano. Then, she realized what she was thinking about, and she stared at her father, who was smiling proudly at her.

_"A Hashimoto must always stand by the truth in the name of business and accept the full blow of repercussions."_

"As always, Father."

Sadahiro's smile widened even more, and Chouko instinctively smiled back.

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"_Twice_ the workload?!" exclaimed Takahashi as he carried a tall stack of newspapers. "Someone please kill me now."

"You're not the only one who's upset," Hasumi replied, sighing as she set down her own newspapers. "You know, Arata, chances are it's probably gonna keep going on for a while now, unfortunately. Public's going into a bit of a panic now. You remember that cult, right?"

Memories of the hooded figures at the construction site flashed across Takahashi's mind. Nervously, he replied, "The one from the news? Yeah. Why?"

"Police just found another mass grave, near one of the high schools too. Newspaper sales are gonna be off the chart. My dad's freaking out big-time about it."

Takahashi tried to suppress a giggle as he imagined his boss being extremely scared. "Well..." he said, "that's, uh...that's quite a shocker..."

"I know, right? He's also thinking about taking me out of school and homeschooling me instead. Can you believe it? I mean, all those mass graves are nowhere near _our_ school. There's no way that cult is operating near where we live. Why should we have to live in fear when they're not even near us?"

Takahashi immediately remembered the construction site again, knowing that it wasn't far off from their workplace. He wanted to tell Hasumi about it, but then, he remembered the details of the cult's crimes from the news. They may have let him off the hook because he seemed to be a deity to them, but if he said even a single detail about the cultists at the construction site, who knows what would happen to him afterwards. Would any remaining cultists track him down to the ends of the earth and slaughter him good for opening up his mouth? And what about his mother and Hasumi?...

"Arata?" Hasumi's voice suddenly pulled Takahashi back to reality.

"Huh?"

"You okay? You looked a little spaced-out."

"Huh? ...Oh, it's nothing, Hasumi. I was just thinking about something that's happening at home." He set down his newspapers, sighing heavily. "But yeah, that cult's gonna be something." Takahashi stared at the massive stack of newspapers that he, Hasumi, and several others had to sort out. "This is gonna be hell."

"Yep," Hasumi replied in agreement. Then, she looked across her shoulder. "Arata. Look over there."

"Why, what?"

Takahashi followed her gaze and saw that she was looking at her father, who was walking with a girl around his and Hasumi's ages. She sported magenta hair and sea-green eyes, and she was also wearing a purple headband with a mint ribbon hanging from the right side of her head, a pale-green dress, and a light-blue waistcoat. It struck Takahashi as strange; for some outlandish reason, as he stared at the girl, he felt as if he knew her well from someplace, even though it was very obvious he had never seen her before in his entire life. However, he remained silent as Itagaki and the girl approached him and Hasumi.

"Hasumi-chan," he said, focusing on only his daughter, much to Takahashi's annoyance, "this is Kimiko Nishimura. She is new to this job, so be sure to show her the ropes." Itagaki glared at the girl. "Do not make me regret hiring you in the first place. Is that understood?"

Kimiko nodded calmly and modestly, which surprised Takahashi; usually, people would be visibly intimidated by Itagaki's harsh demeanor.

As Itagaki left, Kimiko faced him and Hasumi, flashing a tiny smile. Hasumi smiled back.

"Hi there, Kimiko," she greeted. "As you already heard, I'm Hasumi. This over here is Arata. So...newbie, huh?"

Kimiko nodded. "Yeah."

"So, I assume you're taking over Gensai-san's route?"

"Yeah."

"Well then, I guess that's your newspapers." Hasumi pointed to a rather short stack of newspapers, which shocked Takahashi.

"Aw, come on!" he exclaimed. "The new girl gets the short end of the stick?! What can of bull is-"

Hasumi glared at Takahashi, using the intimidating expression she obviously inherited from her father.

"Well, she _is_ new, after all," she replied. "We can't have her stressing out already at this job."

Silenced, he merely nodded in response. Then, Takahashi stared at Kimiko, who already started gathering the newspapers from her pile. He still couldn't shake off the feeling of familiarity towards her. He was confident it wasn't just some sort of crush on Kimiko; he was already focused on Hasumi. Then...what was it?

"So," Kimiko said suddenly, attracting his attention, "Arata, right?" He nodded in response. "What's it like, working here?"

"So-so," replied Takahashi honestly, hoping that a friendly conversation would help alleviate this strange feeling. "Sometimes there's big workloads, sometimes there's days where things go really slow. I personally prefer the slow days. Less packaging to work with equals a happy me."

"I see."

Takahashi blinked in confusion, raising an eyebrow. There was something that unsettled him about the tone of Kimiko's voice when she said that last sentence. It was..._strange_, to say the least. Like she had something to hide. However, before he could think any further about it, Hasumi's voice called to him.

"Arata, we've got more newspapers!"

"Goddamn it..."

* * *

**Hashimoto Limousine**

"Everything is controlled by business, Chouko," said Sadahiro as he coolly took a small sip of wine, his leg crossed over the other, while Chouko watched him in what can be perceived as curiosity. "Without business, there would not be any goods and services to satisfy the consumers." He was silent as he took another sip, then exhaled calmly as soon as he was finished. "The world revolves around business in order to survive, if I do say so myself."

Chouko merely stared at her father, unresponsive. However, he merely chuckled and resumed speaking.

"During the dawn of the human race, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. It was their primal, natural instinct to gather all of the necessary materials for them to survive, despite their scarcity in an otherwise unforgiving environment. As the human race evolved, we reject any and all incivility and like to believe that we are civilized, devoid of any primal thought or capability. But that's a lie. We've all inherited our ancestors' primal behaviors. Shelter and nourishment have been merely replaced by goods and services." He stared at Chouko. "Tell me, Chouko, who said that quote I just recited?"

"Alastair O'Connor," replied Chouko, seemingly acting on instinct. "American businessman and entrepreneur."

Sadahiro smiled. "Correct, Chouko. And why, by any chance, did I just recite O'Connor's quote?"

"To prove that our consumerist behavior has been around since the dawn of the human race. It's just manifested a different form since the ancient times."

"A great and intimate amount of knowledge and understanding of that," Sadahiro said, "is indicative of a great Hashimoto. Chouko, you'll do this family proud."

"I am pleased to hear that from you, Father," Chouko replied without emotion. "Those words mean a lot to me."

It was silent in the limousine. Chouko sat on her seat, still, while Sadahiro continued to sip from his wineglass.

Finally, after a minute of this passed, Chouko piped, "Father?"

"Yes, Chouko?"

"Don't you think you're drinking a little too much wine? Alcoholic intoxication would no doubt damage your ability to run Hashimoto Communications."

Sadahiro's smile widened as he set down his wineglass. "Oh, Chouko. I was afraid you never noticed that."

"I noticed that convenience the moment you took the first sip. I only stayed silent because you were talking first. Respect always comes first in business."

"Ah, you make your father proud every passing minute. I cannot wait until you inherit the family business."

"The feeling is mutual, Father."

Chouko returned Sadahiro's smile with a tiny one of her own, though it lacked in jubilant energy, something her father had failed to notice. Not that it mattered to her anyway. The silver-haired girl sighed softly and resumed staring out of the limousine window, imagining all of the things that were passing by.

After all, one could definitely never see anything through windows blacked out with tint.

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Tokyo, Japan**

_32..._

_33..._

_34..._

Chouko stared indifferently at the screen as it continued to count the floors the personal elevator was passing as it continued ascending upward to her father's private office at the top floor of the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters. Then, the silver-haired girl glanced across her shoulder, half-expecting herself to look out of the elevator windows. Then, she remembered that the elevator didn't have any windows. It was just a simple elevator.

She glanced at the screen again as it continued counting the floors.

_45..._

_46..._

_47..._

_48..._

The building had a total of 150 floors, something Chouko ever since her first visit here, ten years ago.

Glancing at her father, she saw that he was reading some papers that he brought along, looking rather occupied with them. Chouko always wondered how he managed to efficiently pass the time inside the elevator. Her, she didn't have anything that could entertain her for the duration of this long elevator trip.

...Nothing except for her private thoughts...

Her mind first settled on the business and management book she read in the private library earlier that morning. Chouko tried to remember all of the passages that caught her attention, but it didn't take long for her to become bored by it. She desperately wanted to lie against the elevator wall to rest, for but then, she remembered all of the times Sadahiro told her that it was always proper for a Hashimoto to remain businesslike while outside in public at all times. He definitely wouldn't even tolerate a simple rest, even if no one else could see her, so Chouko instinctively thought the better of it.

Then, all of a sudden, her wandering mind came to a complete halt. The familiar tunes of Junna's piano settled onto her head like a comforting blanket.

_68..._

_69..._

_..._

_70..._

_..._

_..._

_71..._

_..._

_..._

_..._

_72..._

All sense of time was lost to Chouko as she closed her eyes, sighed softly, and imagined herself skillfully playing multiple pieces on Junna's piano, their rhythmic tunes bursting across the atmosphere like multiple barrages of colorful fireworks, varying in speed and strength, but all being successfully played out using the skill of her hands. She imagined herself playing the works of Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin... She couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.

In this imagination, she felt _free_...

Then, she felt her mind settle on another piece of music...the one she was intrigued by, out of all the others... _That tune_...

How she wished to find out what that was... Yet, she didn't dare to ask Junna, not even once. One way or another, her father would find out about it...

"Chouko?"

Chouko opened her eyes and realized that she suddenly started humming. Cutting off her voice, she looked up at her father, who was staring down at her with an expression of disapproval. She immediately realized why: while immersed in the safe confines of her thoughts, she had subconsciously started humming the enigmatic tune a bit too loudly. The teenager glumly looked down at the floor of the elevator, strands of her hair obscuring her disappointed face.

"I'm sorry, Father," she whispered.

Sadahiro sighed and put a hand over his face, emphasizing his disappointment. "How many times do I have to tell you this so you can finally listen?" he asked. "There's no reason for a Hashimoto to associate himself or herself with trivial matters, such as Junna-san's piano."

"It won't happen again, Father," replied Chouko.

"It'd better not, Chouko. You can't let that music distract you during more serious matters. It'll affect your abilities in handling big business."

"I swear on the Hashimoto name, Father, that I will never, _ever_ concern myself with the piano again."

Sadahiro looked closely into Chouko's face. "Look at me, Chouko, and repeat those words, right in my face."

Chouko looked up at her father, her sadness retreating. "I swear on the Hashimoto name, Father, that I will never, _ever_ concern myself with the piano again."

"Do you have your word on that, Chouko?"

"You have my word on it, Father. I will never do anything to disappoint you ever again."

"I hope so." Sadahiro stared back at the elevator doors. "Promises are like contracts, conceived between two or more people. Contracts of trust. They bind the souls and minds of those people together. Should one of the participants break a promise, then the trust formed between these people will be shattered. Trust is the most important emotion that can be felt between two people, Chouko. I hope you understand that, is that right?"

"I understand that perfectly, Father. I will never, _ever_ break the trust between us."

Sadahiro's eyes narrowed. "Good, because that trust is running on its last thread. One more incident like this and God knows what I'll do."

Chouko didn't react even the slightest to those words. She knew her father was merely employing his intimidation tactics that he always used during business meetings, whenever things weren't going his way. Being his daughter, she bore witness to the businesslike emotions that he would also use in his private life.

"However," Sadahiro continued, attracting Chouko's attention, "I _do_ appreciate your unconditional honesty about this inexcusable affair, Chouko. You may go on to disobey me and my creeds, but I have raised you well enough for you to admit your wrongdoings. And for that, I am proud of you."

"Thank you, Father," Chouko replied.

Sadahiro pursed his lips together in response, just before the elevator bell sounded, signaling their arrival at the office.

The elevator doors slid open and both Hashimotos stepped out of the elevator and into the large, high-end office. At the front desk, the secretary, a young and petite woman with blue hair, stood up, a clipboard clutched tightly in one hand as she approached Sadahiro.

"Hashimoto-sensei," she greeted.

"What's the status report about the ratings for all 150 company-owned channels?" Hashimoto asked.

"At a record high, as usual. There was a little dip in the news section during the past week, but nothing to be overly concerned about."

"Tono-san, is that right?"

"Yes, Hashimoto-sensei, that is correct."

"And how long have you been working in this position again?"

"Uh, about six weeks. Why do you ask, sir?"

Sadahiro glared at her with deadly eyes. "In this business, _any_ dip in ratings is something to be overly concerned about. Sadahiro Communications always, and I do mean _always_, aims for the highest, and once we get to the maximum point, we break through the roof and reach higher. We do not just sit there, watch as ratings drop, no matter how minimal the drop may be, and just bat an eyelid at that development. We _work_ to rectify this! So please, Tono-san, don't spend this job telling me that there is nothing to be overly concerned about when the channels in the news section, or any other section for that matter, suffers a little dip in the ratings!" He cleared his throat as Tono trembled in terror, then faced her again, now calm. "Now then, do I make myself clear enough, Tono-san?"

"Crystal clear, Hashimoto-sensei," replied Tono nervously. Sadahiro merely grunted and walked off towards his desk, while Chouko approached Tono.

"Tono-san?" she asked.

Tono turned to Chouko, relieved that she had someone else to talk to. "Oh, hey Chouko-chan."

"You've definitely been working here for _more_ than six weeks."

"Ah, so you've caught that little tidbit, huh?" Tono sighed in frustration as she glared at Sadahiro, who was busy organizing several files. "After three months of working this job, your father finally gets my name right. _But_ in a nice little twist of fate, he doesn't remember how long I've been working as his secretary." She shrugged dismissively. "I'm gonna guess he's even forgotten why I've decided to take the job in the first place."

"You needed the money to pay for your mother's hospital bills," Chouko explained with her usual tone of indifference. "My father hired you because he was too bored to realize that you were posing as another candidate for the job. He has yet to know your real name, Haruka Teshima."

Haruka's eyes widened in shock as she looked back at Chouko.

"You...You _knew_?"

Chouko shrugged dismissively. "You have a habit of talking to yourself a bit too loudly when you're under pressure. I happened to eavesdrop one day while my father was in the bathroom just after he reprimanded you for organizing his files the wrong way. I apologize if you feel that your privacy has been violated-"

"No, no, there's nothing to apologize about!" Haruka's lips curved into a widening smile. "In fact, I'm glad someone like you managed to learn my secret."

Chouko nodded at her in response, still emotionless. She then glanced back at her father, who had just started dialing on his phone.

"My father doesn't take kindly to liars," she said, almost in a whisper.

"Huh?" Haruka looked at Chouko, confused.

"If my father finds out you've been lying to him for so long, then you shall be fired." The silver-haired teenager looked back at the secretary. "And to be honest, Teshima-san, I never liked the last secretary Father employed. So do not worry. Your secret is safe with me..._Tono-san_."

Haruka blinked at Chouko, still confused. Then, she realized why she called her by her alias. With a satisfied smile, she nodded.

"Thank you, Chouko-chan..." she said.

"You're welcome, sensei," Sadahiro said, interrupting their conversation as he hung up on his phone and looked at Haruka. "Torii-san?"

Chouko saw Haruka's eyelid twitch upon being referred to by the wrong name. However, she regained her composure and replied, "Yes, Hashimoto-sensei?"

"I want you to reschedule next Saturday's appointment to the next available slot. I've just been informed of a new decision by the board."

"Which is?"

Sadahiro's chest swelled up with pride, a telltale sign that something was happening that will benefit him and/or the company. Chouko listened in intently.

"Well," he explained as he grinned, "one of the company's branches has just finally accepted our offer to send over some of its high-school student employees to have a nice week-long tour of the company and get an idea on how it works. To influence the newest generation of business workers, so to speak. The sole purpose behind the tour." He chuckled as he rubbed his thumb and index finger together coolly. "And to think, the company who accepted our offer happens to be one of our underrated newspaper branches, more or less. Maybe their recommendations of the company could give our newspaper sales a good boost."

"Okay," Haruka replied as she began scribbling down notes on her clipboard. "Rescheduling next Saturday's appointment to next available slot..." After she was done writing, she looked up at Sadahiro again. "Okay, so, when and where exactly are the students coming over, Sadahiro-sensei?"

"Next Friday, at three o'clock sharp, at this very office." Sadahiro then looked at Chouko. "Oh, and Chouko?"

"Yes, Father?" asked Chouko, tilting her head slightly in curiosity.

"These students are gonna be staying over at our house for that entire week. The company wants them to have 24-7 exposure and detailed knowledge of the life of a successful person like myself. So therefore, I want you to be on your best, best behavior. They all must learn that they can easily be like a Hashimoto in spite of their ages. None of that ridiculous piano nonsense anymore, just trademark Hashimoto behavior. Is that understood, Chouko?"

Chouko nodded indifferently. "Understood, Father. I shall be on my best behavior."

Sadahiro's tone was rather strict and terse. "I dearly hope so."

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"HASUMI-CHAN, NISHIMURA, TAKAHASHI!" Itagaki's voice hollered across the paper-sorting facility, startling everyone, Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi included.

"Yes, Itagaki-sensei?" Takahashi asked irritably as his employer approached him and the girls.

"You three have all been randomly selected to participate in a tour at Hashimoto Communications, this facility's parent corporation. This lil' tour will also include having to stay at Sadahiro Hashimoto's high-end, glamorous Hashimoto Manor. For one week, you'll all be with the Hashimoto family, 24-7, starting next Friday."

Takahashi, Hasumi, or even Itagaki were unable to notice Kimiko's small, satisfied smile.

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"**

**Takahashi:** I'm finally gonna be living the high life! Thank you, God, for this miracle!

**Kimiko:** That'd better be the truth!

**Takahashi:** I just told you something sensitive to me!

**Kimiko:** It brings out the worst in people.

**Unknown:** Hey, d'you believe there's some sort of higher power out there?

**Kimiko:** _"__He may be a nice guy, but I wouldn't trust him with my life."_

**Naomi:** BECAUSE **YOU** KILLED MOM!

**Kimiko:** _"I swear to God, you won't have to live in fear again..."_

**Chapter 3: A Walk Home**

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like things are starting to already come in full circle! Don't worry, everyone, it is just the beginning! So, it looks like Yuri's reincarnated form has met up with Otonashi's and Iwasawa's! And it looks like they're set up to meet up with Kanade's reincarnated form as well! And speaking of Kanade, man, it seems like she's definitely being held back A LOT by her father in her new life. What will happen next? Stay tuned!

I'd like to thank the following who reviewed:

**Hammiam:** Your predictions about the cult are actually not that far off. Well, some of them at least. You'll see what they'll do... ;)

**BloodPokemon101:** Oh, the cult has major significance in one of the subplots in particular. Which subplot, though, will be something I gotta withhold for now.

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	4. A Walk Home

**CHAPTER 3: A WALK HOME**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**Workplace of Arata Takahashi  
Nishitōkyō, Japan**

"Uh...come again?..." asked Takahashi, stunned at his employer's abrupt announcement.

Itagaki glared at Takahashi with a foul expression, and replied, "Hasumi-chan, Nishimura, and _you_-" Takahashi growled at his tone. "-have all been selected to tour Hashimoto Communications, which owns this very facility. You three will be staying with the Hashimoto family for a full week."

"Yeah, did you mention manor, by any chance?"

"I did. What about it?"

Takahashi's tone was becoming increasingly enthusiastic. "You said we're staying at this manor, is that correct, Itagaki-sensei?"

"Yes, that's goddamn correct-"

"**YAHOO**!" The other employees stopped, startled by the outburst, and watched Takahashi leap up in the air, a clenched fist raised in the air. "I get to stay over at a MANSION! For a week, no less! HA! I'm finally gonna be living the high life! Thank you, God, for this miracle! HA HA HA!"

"I see someone's excited..." Hasumi commented, her lips cracking into a tiny, amused smile.

"Damn right, I'm excited!" exclaimed Takahashi as he began prancing around in excitement. "At least I don't have to deal with my rundown trap of a house!"

Itagaki rolled his eyes, evidently not as amused as his daughter. "Heh. Yeah, well Takahashi, you're not gonna be meeting up with the Hashimotos until another goddamn week. So now is not the goddamn time to start celebrating and dancing around like a goddamn idiot. GET BACK TO GODDAMN WORK!"

Takahashi nodded happily, unconcerned that he had to wait for a week to finally start living what he called the high life, and started stacking his newspapers at a faster pace than normal. Itagaki snorted in sarcastic amusement and walked away, muttering something along the lines of "Should mention goddamn manors more". Meanwhile, Hasumi and Kimiko watched Takahashi commit to his work, the former looking rather impressed.

"Well," she remarked, "that's the first time I've seen Arata stack so much newspapers without uttering so much as a partial complaint. Who would've known?"

However, Kimiko ignored Hasumi, instead resuming work on her own newspapers, her smile still in place.

_"Well, this was unexpected,"_ she thought. _"Living with the Hashimoto family for a week? God really must be on my side for this. I should take this to my advantage..."_

* * *

**Several hours later**

Takahashi walked out of the facility, humming a merry tune to himself. He never had a more exciting and wondrous day than today. After all, he had been told of a great opportunity that had fallen onto his lap. He was gonna be staying with the Hashimoto family, possibly one of the most prominent families in Japan, for a single week. A single week! More than enough time for him to live the life of a king, and maybe even get some pointers on how to build a successful career and get himself a great amount of wealth and prominence. Oh, how he couldn't wait for this week to pass so he could enjoy the following one!

From what he had been told, he was scheduled to go to the Hashimoto Communications headquarters complex in downtown Tokyo on April 25 and go up to the building's topmost floor, where Sadahiro Hashimoto's office was located. He had to be present by three o'clock sharp, otherwise he would be out of the tour for good. As for what would happen once he got to the office in time, Takahashi didn't really care. All he really wanted to do was live inside the Hashimoto Manor.

_"Everything's starting to go my way,"_ he thought. _"Hasumi's starting to get concerned for my well-being, and now, I can live in a _mansion_! A mansion that belongs to one of the richest families in Japan, nonetheless! Which would give me opportunities to be alone with Hasumi! Oh, this is gonna be _good_! Thank you, God, for this!"_

Approaching his bicycle, Takahashi was about to mount it when he saw Kimiko standing near the curb, attempting to hail a taxi, but without success. When she yelled out in frustration, the redheaded teenager exhaled and approached her, taking his bicycle along with him.

"You okay there?" he asked, catching her attention.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Kimiko watched as the vehicles passed by her. "Never knew trying to get a cab in the city was hell."

"Tell me about it. That's why I ride a bike." Takahashi gestured to his bicycle. Kimiko raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, her lips pursing.

"Are you giving me a ride?" she asked.

Takahashi blinked. "Um...well, no. I mean, if you don't want to." His eyes then widened when Kimiko narrowed her eyes at him. "I mean, I wasn't actually _asking_ you if you wanted a ride, I was only pointing out why I ride a bike instead of trying to call a taxi. I mean, we only just met; why would I wanna give you a ride?"

"Oh." Kimiko glanced back at the street and saw there weren't anymore taxis in sight. "Well, I wouldn't want a ride from a complete stranger." Then, she looked back at Takahashi. "But I _would_ like it if you just walked me home. I...I'm not really comfortable with walking alone, if you know what I mean."

Takahashi blinked, then smiled. "Yeah, sure," he replied. "I'll walk you home."

Then, a serious expression came onto Kimiko's face.

"But if you try and make any moves on me, I swear to God, I'll-"

"GOD, NO!" shouted Takahashi in disgust. "I'm not a pervert, all right?! No way I'd take advantage of you, or any other girl! Besides, I'm already..."

Takahashi's voice trailed off; Kimiko crossed her arms in wait.

"You're already what?" she asked.

"Nothing..."

Kimiko's eyes narrowed again, causing Takahashi to blush in embarrassment. Then, she smiled at him.

"Alright, let's get going then. My siblings are waiting for me to get back home. I've got some dinner to cook for 'em."

The magenta-haired girl began walking down the sidewalk at a fast pace, which startled Takahashi. She then turned back to look at him after a few seconds.

"Come on! Arata, is that right?"

"Yeah, that's my name." Takahashi smiled. "And I'm coming! Just don't go too fast... Kimiko, right?"

Kimiko nodded as she resumed walking. "Yep, that's right."

Takahashi's smiled widened, which greatly surprised him. It wasn't some sort of romantic emotion he was feeling for Kimiko, far from it. Instead...he felt as if he was back with an old friend...which surprised him even more. After all, there was no way he could've possibly met Kimiko before...

* * *

**Near the suburbs  
The outskirts of ****Nishitōkyō**

The walk out of the city was spent mostly in silence, although Takahashi spent a majority of it casting curious glares at Kimiko. He didn't know why in the world he seemed to know her so well, even if they had just met. It was actually starting to scare him a little. He didn't want to look into it, only to find nothing crucial and look like some sort of idiot. All he can do right now is try and keep looking at her, see if there were any visual cues that could stir something in his memory.

Unfortunately, Kimiko noticed Takahashi's glances. She stopped and glared at him with a death stare, which caused him to freeze in his tracks.

"Okay, Mr. Pervert," she said, "I told you to not try and make any moves on me!"

"I'm not trying to make any moves on you!" Takahashi protested as he sweated profusely.

Kimiko narrowed her eyes at him. "Then why do you keep ogling me like that!" She wrapped her arms around her torso defensively. "Damn pervert!"

"I'm not ogling you! You just..." He hesitated briefly, wondering what he should say. "You just remind me of someone, that's all!"

The magenta-haired girl looked away, looking unconvinced. "That'd better be the truth! Because there's no way I'm gonna be walking around with a pervert!"

Takahashi sweat-dropped at Kimiko's stubbornness, but he continued to walk alongside her, dragging along his bicycle as he did so. After walking down several more blocks, the two teenagers reached a four-way intersection. Takahashi recognized the intersection as the same one near the construction site...

"Hey, Arata?"

The redheaded teenager was surprised to hear his companion actually talking to him after their awkward conversation earlier. He sighed heavily.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"What do you think of your job, really?"

Takahashi crossed his arms. "And why do you wanna know?"

Kimiko looked at him. "Well, I wanna make sure I landed myself the right job. Might as well learn from someone who's already experienced at it."

He shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. Average."

"I can tell a liar when I see one, Arata," said Kimiko flatly. "From what I can tell, you really don't seem to like the job."

"GODDAMN IT, MY JOB FREAKING SUCKS!" Takahashi kicked his bicycle, startling Kimiko. "My boss is always on my ass over every single thing known to man, I'm always getting tons of newspapers every day, my paper route is so long and tiring, and worst of all, I have to work alongside possibly the hottest girl in Japan, knowing that she will never go out with me, or show any affection to me! Yeah, that's how stupid it is. I don't know how I landed that job in the first place!"

By the time Takahashi ended his furious tirade, Kimiko's mouth was open. When he looked at her, she closed her mouth and looked back at the crosswalk.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Arata," she replied emphatically. "I...I assume the girl you're talking about is Hasumi?"

"What girl?" he asked absentmindedly.

Kimiko looked back at him. "You said you were mad because you were working with, quote, the hottest girl in Japan. That's gotta be Hasumi, right?"

Takahashi's skin paled, and his legs began to buckle. "I-I said _that_?"

"...Yes- EEP!"

Takahashi had frantically grabbed Kimiko by her shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

"You _cannot_ tell anyone else I ever said that!" he whispered through clenched teeth. "_Especially_ not Hasumi. Are we clear on that?"

Kimiko nodded nervously, allowing Takahashi to release her. She dusted her shirt before looking at her companion, who was still pale-faced. Then, she smirked.

"Well, at least I know you're not a pervert," she said, elbowing his arm gently. A bead of sweat merely dropped from Takahashi's face in response.

Finally, the two were given the signal to use the crosswalk. As they walked across the street, Takahashi glared at Kimiko.

"Alright then, I told you a personal detail, unintentionally so. Now pay up."

Kimiko scoffed. "What the heck are you talking about, _lover-boy_?"

Takahashi growled angrily, then replied, "You tell me a personal detail of your own. So we're even. I'm not gonna just let you get away with a secret of mine."

The girl blinked, then shrugged. "Well, might as well. I never was one to be unfair to anyone else, so..." She put a finger to her chin, wondering what her reply would be. Finally, she looked at Takahashi and said, "When I was in the first grade, I accidentally pooped in class and no one noticed, though I was scared that someone would indeed notice." Kimiko looked back at the sidewalk as the two finished crossing. "There, we're even. Happy now?"

However, Takahashi wasn't satisfied. "That's _it_?" he asked. "_That's_ your personal detail to share?"

"You wanted one, so I gave one to you."

"Without any fear whatsoever. I'd be totally embarrassed if I had pooped in class and no one noticed! I wouldn't wanna tell anyone!"

"You pooped in class, mister?" a young voice asked, causing Takahashi's skin to crawl. He and Kimiko looked at their left and saw two young children eating ice cream. One was an older boy and the other was a little girl, both apparently siblings, since they had identical brown hair.

"NO, I DIDN'T POOP IN CLASS WHEN I WAS IN THE FIRST GRADE!" Takahashi shouted, although the children were already giggling and running away. "Damn it."

Kimiko giggled. "Nice handling there, Arata."

"Goddamn it, you made that up, didn't you?!" snarled Takahashi.

She shrugged dismissively. "So what if I did? Why would I wanna share a personal detail with you?"

"Because I shared mine accidentally! And I thought you said you were a fair person?"

"I was being fair, Arata. That whole first-grade thing _did_ happen. I got over it, though. I was a very stupid kid back then." Kimiko glanced at Takahashi, a twinkle of mischief present in her eye. "But you, having a hopeless crush on someone you see every day? Now _that's_ something."

_"Oh, why the hell did I decide to be nice and walk her home?"_ Takahashi thought in misery.

Noticing his expression, Kimiko giggled again. "Don't worry, Arata, I won't spit it out to anyone else."

"Still, you'd better give me a secret of your own, one that you're truly ashamed of, one that I have to keep to myself with all my might! THEN we'll be even!"

Kimiko sighed. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"Hell, yeah! I just told you something sensitive to me! And you expect me to be NOT serious about it?"

"Well, I have no secrets to tell you for now. Maybe when I remember one, I'll tell it to you."

"Fine." However, Takahashi sensed that Kimiko was lying, but decided to drop the subject, for he didn't want to irk her any further.

After a few minutes passed, Kimiko asked, "Do you watch the news often, Arata?"

"Not really. I don't have much concerns on company scandals and psycho cults and all that other crap."

"Oh. So...you don't know who Sadahiro Hashimoto is..."

"Actually, I do!" exclaimed Takahashi, his excitement rising. "I mean, who doesn't? And don't you believe it? We're gonna be staying at his mansion for a week! His _mansion_, for crying out loud!" He spun around happily and stopped in front of Kimiko, causing her to stop walking. "Isn't that awesome or what?!"

"Yeah, I guess..." However, Kimiko's voice trailed off as she looked away, staring at (or more like through) the passing vehicles absentmindedly as she resumed walking, her lips pursed. Takahashi noticed her strange expression as she passed by him and ran up to her side.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she replied absentmindedly. "It's just... Well, I don't really care that much about mansions and wealth and such-"

"Why? Being rich is _awesome_! You've got servants at your every whim, you have a lot of money so you can buy anything you want, and best of all, you get a big house with a lot of awesome rooms that you can use! It's way better than having to live in a small house with limited rooms and a boring lifestyle-"

"Excuse me?!" Kimiko faced Takahashi. "I happen to be VERY happy and content with MY house and MY lifestyle, alright?!"

"Sorry, sorry!" the redhead exclaimed. "It's just... It's gotta be awesome to have at least a lotta money that you can use!"

Kimiko looked away stubbornly. "I'm actually not a big fan of wealth. Too much money leads to greed and arrogance. It brings out the worst in people."

"Oh... Well, no offense, but I'm a fan of wealth myself. Especially since my own home and means of living are rather..._crappy_..."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Kimiko gave a small smile. "Well, if you _do_ manage to become wealthy, don't lose yourself in it all."

"Hey, I won't. How in the world would I lose myself in my wealth?"

At that moment, he realized that they were in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, which he quickly recognized as belonging to his paper route.

"Well, this is it," Kimiko said, catching his attention. She was standing in front of one of the houses, which had two floors, a front porch, and nicely-kept grass in its front yard. The house as a whole appeared rather well-kept and cared for. Takahashi's eyes widened in surprise.

"This is it?"

"Yeah, this is my house." She smiled teasingly. "Better not memorize the address or anything else perverted, Takahashi."

"Well, it wouldn't really matter, since this is on my paper route and all."

Kimiko blinked, then frowned. "So, you're the paperboy for this street?"

"Yep."

"So you're the one who threw that paper through my window last week and broke the new vase?"

Takahashi sweat-dropped. "Uh...I was out sick at the time..."

Kimiko's frowned became more pronounced, but then, she shrugged dismissively.

"Anyway, thanks for walking me home," she said.

"You're welcome, I guess," replied Takahashi. As he watched Kimiko walk up her porch, he called instinctively, "Hey, Kimiko!"

The magenta-haired teenager turned around, looking at him. "Yeah?"

Takahashi hesitated. He wanted to ask how she was so familiar to him, for he knew she definitely did not remind him of someone else in his life. And it definitely wasn't an amorous love he was feeling. Whatever it was, it was a curious feeling he was experiencing, and he desperately wanted to find out what it was.

"By...By any chance," he said, carefully choosing his words, "the moment you first saw me...did...did you recognize me, in any way?"

"Recognize you?" Kimiko raised an eyebrow, surprised by his question. "Why would I recognize you? I've never met you in my life."

"Oh. Well, sorry for asking. You probably need to get inside, do whatever you need to do-"

"It's okay, Arata," interrupted Kimiko. "You didn't waste my time. See ya tomorrow."

Takahashi nodded, giving her a small smile. "Yeah. See ya."

He turned to the opposite direction and prepared to walk away when Kimiko called out to him.

"Hey, uh, Arata?"

"Yeah?"

"Didn't you have your bicycle with you when we were walking?"

"Hm?" Takahashi looked around, only to realize his bicycle was missing. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that he might have left it over at the four-way intersection, near the crosswalk. "OH GOD, NO! NOT AGAIN!" He dashed down the sidewalk as fast as he could, calling out, "THANKS, KIMIKO!"

"You're welcome..." Kimiko whispered. She then approached her front door and unlocked it. As she did, a thought came to her mind.

_"You may not be familiar to me in any way, Arata...but you _do _seem to remind me of someone I know... Who, though?..."_

* * *

**Elsewhere in ********Nishitōkyō**

"Dear _Chi_, maintain our Earth, stabilize its central form... Beloved _Sui_, flow across our Earth, provoke change... Almighty _Ka_, move through our Earth, feed it your energy... Great _Fū_, spread over our Earth, grant its beings your gift of life... And together, these four innate elements of our Earth bring the everlasting _Kū_, and its astounding enlightenment of our dark and tortured spirits... Repeat five times...or four times?... Wait, is it four times or five times?"_  
_

The teenage boy stood over a grisly scene. In front of him was what appeared to be a fresh, makeshift grave. At his right was the corpse of a woman, her skin pale, her hair and clothes sopping wet. At his left, a severely charred skeleton lay, burned beyond any sort of recognition. And directly behind him laid a second woman's body, her wrists and ankles bound, and with a plastic bag still wrapped over her head as her empty, wide eyes looked through it.

"Hmmm... Let's see..." The boy closely examined the paper he was holding, which read a transcript of some sort. He was obviously not bothered by the horrible sights that were surrounding him. "Okay, so you have to recite the ritual chant once before you set up the sacrifices, then recite four more times afterward." He glanced at the bodies and the grave that surrounded him. "So, that technically means I had to recite it four times... Aw, damn it, I did this process wrong!"

In frustration, the boy kicked at the fresh earth that constituted the makeshift grave; in doing so, he exposed a pale, grimy hand that stuck out of the grave, its fingers still slightly outstretched, as if the person were calling for help. Then, the boy sighed and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, no matter," he muttered. "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And try again I shall, or my name isn't Fuyuhiko Ezakiya!"

The black-haired teenager looked up, his emotionless eyes softening as he stared at the fifth corpse that hung directly above him, being suspended from a tree branch by the neck only. Small droplets of blood dripped down from the man's mouth and fell onto the boy's forehead, but once again, he wasn't daunted.

"Hey, d'you believe there's some sort of higher power out there?" Fuyuhiko asked. Then, he looked around at the other four corpses. "Any of you?" After a brief silence, Fuyuhiko continued, "My grandparents always did. And man, did they take all that seriously or what?" He sat down, sighing heavily. "Yep, they really did knock their beliefs into me. Literally, sometimes. And, to be honest, I do agree, I believe there's some higher power out there, pulling the strings of this world.

"Only...it's not the higher power my grandparents believed in."

Fuyuhiko looked over at the skeleton and nudged its bony arm. "You probably already know that higher power as God. Yeah, I once believed in him. But then, I thought, 'If God does exist, then why does he make us humans suffer like this?' All this war and murder and robbing and rape and all that other crap, I mean, it just isn't in the right mind of a supreme deity like God to just give us humans such torture if there isn't a plain resolution in sight.

"So, one day, I just thought, 'Maybe it's because we're worshiping the wrong god'. And therefore, heh, I kept hopping around, experimenting with many, and I mean _many_ religions in search of the right one, the right path. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, some indigenous African and Native American ones here and there..." Fuyuhiko put a finger to his chin in thought. "Wow, I never realized I experimented with so many... Well, anyway, _none_ of the religions I tried seemed to work for me. I never found anything that really made sense. I considered giving up and just going atheist.

"But then, I see the news a couple of days ago, about this cult that's taking Japan by storm! So, I look them up, see what they believe in. Judging by their core ideology, it seems like they're worshiping the _Earth_ itself! It really made sense to me! I mean, this planet is _teeming_ with life! It honestly wouldn't surprise me if the planet was alive itself. And we've been treating the Earth like crap! We knock down trees, steal its gas and oil, and pollute its air, all because of our selfish, consumerist desires. No wonder why we've been given so much sinful crap! The Earth is MAD at us! And it's time people woke up, just like those cultists did!

"Just like _I_ did!" The teenager laughed. "But of course, those silly, low-level mongrels don't even have the mental _capacity_ to comprehend this awesomeness!"

Fuyuhiko stood up and looked up at the hanging corpse. At this point, his entire forehead and some of his cheek was dripping with his victim's blood.

"BUT ONE DAY, WE'LL ALL SHOW THEM!" he shouted to the heavens. "WE'LL SHOW ALL OF THOSE IGNORANT FOOLS, OR MY NAME ISN'T FUYUHIKO EZAKIYA!"

"Hey, you!" another voice shouted, causing Fuyuhiko to turn around. A patrolman was approaching him, a flashlight in his hand. "This part of the nature reserve is restricted by visitors! I'm gonna ask you to leave now, or you'll receive an outstanding fine!" Then, he spotted the gruesome sight. "What in God's name?!"

Fuyuhiko grinned calmly as he unsheathed a bloodstained dagger. "Sorry, man," he said. "Nothing personal."

Then, he charged, prepared to make the strike...

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

Kimiko brought down her knife, making another slice from the carrot she retrieved from inside her refrigerator. As she did, she thought about Takahashi.

_"Arata really interests me..."_ she thought. _"He obviously seems to be living a crappy life, otherwise he would not yearn for excessive wealth. But he doesn't seem like the type to get carried away in it all... Maybe if he learned the true reason why I got a job in his facility..."_ Kimiko blinked, and shook her head. _"Oh, what the hell am I doing? I can't be thinking about this! No, Arata will probably report me or something stupid. He may be a nice guy, but I wouldn't trust him with my life."_

She stopped cutting at the last thought.

_"...Would I trust him with my life? I may have just met him, but...he _does _seem familiar to me..."_ A thought of the red-haired boy, smiling one of his friendly smiles at her, crossed her mind. _"Maybe I should've answered his question differently. He _does _seem familiar somehow... I can't recall where, though..."_

Once again, she shook her head. _"God, my mind keeps wandering! I can't be thinking about him at a time like this! I need to focus on the situation at hand!"_

As she continued slicing the carrot, Kimiko heard the familiar bored sigh of Naomi inside the kitchen. Ignoring it, the older sibling continued slicing the carrots in preparation for dinner. As she did, a grinding sound was heard as Naomi dragged one of the kitchen chairs out and sat down on it.

"How was your game?" Kimiko asked without looking, trying her best to keep her disapproval at bay.

"Why should you be concerned?" replied Naomi, her voice monotone.

"Well, just wanted to know if you had any fun."

"More like wondering if any strangers online asked me out on dates or something along those lines."

Kimiko was briefly silent. "...Did any?..."

"A lot did, as usual." Kimiko shivered slightly at the arrogant tone of Naomi's voice as the latter spoke. "But of course I gave them the cold shoulder."

"That's good." The magenta-haired girl finished slicing her carrot; she moved the slices into a pot and took another carrot to slice. "Naomi-chan?"

Naomi scoffed. "Well, haven't heard _that_ in a long time."

Kimiko's grip on her knife tightened, and her cutting became increasingly aggressive. "You know, Naomi, I try to be nice to you, and I try to do the best I can as your big sister, and I _try_ to understand you. And yet, all you give me is the cold shoulder. Always, always, _always_... You just shove away my love..."

"Well, aren't we getting dramatic here?" Naomi remarked sarcastically.

Upon hearing that sentence, Kimiko slammed down her knife and turned around abruptly, her hair flying as she faced her younger sister, who looked stoic.

"Listen here, Naomi!" she shouted, her spit flying. "What do I have to do to stop you from being so cruel, so hateful, so _judgmental_ to me?! TELL ME!"

Naomi's voice was furious as well. "Well, maybe you can start by being less high and mighty like you always are!"

"High and mighty? What the hell does that mean, Naomi?!"

"You always tell me what to do, you ask how I'm doing each and every time I get back home from school, you always treat me like a baby, you control any and all aspects of my life, you always get on my case because of my grades, and worst of all, YOU KEEP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE MOM! ONLY YOU'RE FAILING MISERABLY IN BEING LIKE MOM!" Naomi's eyes narrowed, her pupils burning with a reserved hatred. "YOU. ARE. **NOT**. MOM. **ONEE-CHAN**!"

Naomi said the last two words with loathing, which irked Kimiko. "I may not be Mom," she snarled angrily, "but I promised her that I'd take care of you, Tamika-chan, and Kaisei-chan! I promised her I'd protect you even if it killed me! I PROMISED HER THAT I WOULD NOT FAIL IN THAT! **I PROMISED HER THAT!**"

"Yeah, well, you're doing a damn poor job at it!" screamed Naomi loudly, stamping her foot. "All you do is just making me hate you even more!"

"WHY THE HELL DO YOU HATE ME, NAOMI?!"

"BECAUSE **YOU** KILLED MOM!"

Kimiko's eyes widened in horror. "What? What the hell are you talking about, Naomi? I did NOTHING!"

"You could've done something about it... You _could've_... But instead, you just hid, like a COWARD!"

The smell of trash, the buzzing of flies, the sounds of her mother moaning... It all came back to Kimiko for a split-second... However, she stood her ground.

"There was _nothing_ that I could've done, Naomi," she whispered softly. "There were many of them, and only two of us. So..." She hesitated, as tears appeared in her eyes, the memory of the incident beginning to take its toll. "So...if you honestly think that my intervention would've been able to make even perhaps the smallest difference, Naomi, then...then you're wrong, as much as I'd want that to be right..." Kimiko looked down at the floor. "I just would've been dead too..."

"WELL THEN, I WOULD'VE PREFERRED IF **YOU** WERE DEAD INSTEAD OF MOM!"

Kimiko gasped and looked at her sister, horrified to hear such a comment from her. Naomi, too, was shocked at saying that.

"I-I..." stuttered Naomi. "I..._Kimiko_-?"

**"YOU BITCH! SO THAT'S IT, ISN'T IT?!"**

Before both of them knew it, Kimiko had tackled Naomi to the floor in a blind rage, her hands tugging aggressively at her sister's collar.

"K-K-Kimiko, I-" began Naomi.

**"SO THAT'S WHY YOU HATE ME, HUH NAOMI?!"** Kimiko continued to scream madly. **"YOU BLAME ME FOR MOM'S DEATH, SO YOU JUST WANT ME TO DIE ALREADY, HUH?! ISN'T THAT RIGHT?! HUH?! _HUH_?! WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT?!"** She pulled Naomi's face close to hers, so she could see her enraged eyes, burning with unimaginable fury and hatred. **"I WISH _I_ DIED INSTEAD TOO! BUT I DIDN'T! SO INSTEAD, I JUST DECIDED TO MAKE THE BEST OF MY NEW CHANCE AT LIFE BY FULFILLING THE PROMISE I MADE TO MOM! AND THAT'S TO WATCH OVER YOU! AND I _WILL_! I WILL, I WILL, I _WILL_!"**

As soon as Kimiko stopped screaming, both sisters heard crying, and they looked to their right, instantly spotting Kaisei. He was sitting against a corner, crying.

"Oh my God, Kaisei-chan!" Kimiko cried as she rushed to her brother's side.

"O-On-Onee-chan..." sobbed Kaisei.

As she hugged her brother comfortingly, Kimiko glared angrily at Naomi, who stood up, looking horrified at what she had started.

"To your room..." the eldest sibling snarled.

"Kimiko, I-" began Naomi, but...

"TO YOUR ROOM!"

Realizing she couldn't reason with Kimiko, Naomi let out a frustrated yell and stormed up the staircase. As she did, Kimiko heard her sister weeping as well, but she ignored instead focusing on her younger brother. As he continued to sob into her shirt, Kimiko nuzzled her cheek against his hair comfortingly, the traumatic memories of the horrible alleyway incident racing across her mind, torturing her. With all of that pressure, she began to cry as well.

_"Oh, I'm sorry, Kaisei, Naomi..."_ she thought. _"I know I let you guys down today. But don't worry. Once I solve this crisis with Hashimoto Communications, then you'll be safe, all of you."_ Kimiko protectively tightened her grip on the sobbing Kaisei. _"I swear to God, you won't have to live in fear again..."_

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"**

**Kimiko:** I'm gonna be gone for a week now, so take good care of yourselves, okay?

**Naotatsu:** Good luck over there, Kimmie.

**Takahashi:** _"About time I got to leave this goddamn house..."_

**Itagaki:** I swear to God, if you goddamn mess this up...

**Sadahiro:** Welcome to the future, children!

**Chouko:** Greetings, my name is Chouko Hashimoto, heir to the Hashimoto business.

**Fuuta:** And who are _these_ people?

**Unknown:** The plan is proceeding smoothly as expected...

**Chapter 4: Reunion of the Heavens**

* * *

**A/N:** And we have our first interaction between Otonashi and Yuri's reincarnated forms! Interesting, eh? Hopefully I portrayed their conversation efficiently. And it looks like we've got some hints of horror involved in this story. Spooky, eh? O_O And yes, this Fuyuhiko guy will be important later on in the story.

NO ONE REVIEWED?! ...That's sad. I need to know how I am doing, people! This is my first time writing for an anime, alongside my SAO fic! I need feedback! If I am gonna do another "Angel Beats!" story in the future, then I need to know if I am portraying the characters correctly enough to warrant my interests!

Well, hope you enjoyed this rather quick chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!

**P.S.:** Seriously, I'm not trying to sound forceful or anything, but please review. Feedback is kinda needed if you want to see good progress.


	5. Reunion of the Heavens, Part 1 of 2

**A/N:** Man, I feel like I'm on a roll with this chapter! :D ENJOY!

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: REUNION OF THE HEAVENS, PART 1 OF 2**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

* * *

**April 25, 2026**

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor**

"Chouko, we're leaving!" called Sadahiro, his voice booming across the halls of the mansion. "Presenting ourselves in a timely manner is vital!"

"I understand, Father," Chouko replied. "I'm coming."

The silver-haired teenager had just finished brushing her teeth and straightening out her hair in the bathroom. As she stepped out of the room and passed the private room belonging to Junna Ukiyo, Chouko suddenly stopped, for a strangely appealing gleam had caught her attention. She took a peek inside the room.

Inside, Junna's room was average, which was to be expected for the quarters of a maid with a decent payroll. There, was a bed, a small bookshelf, a table with a lamp on it, and a separate door that likely held her closet. However, none of those items didn't catch Chouko's interest.

Out of all the things Junna purchased with the money her father paid, Chouko found the polished, wooden mass that was the maid's piano to be the most nice and expensive-looking, although she assumed this piano had been purchased years before Junna started working for the family, since even her salary wouldn't be enough to afford a piano of similar design. And it was obvious Junna treasured her piano like a second child, with its well-cared exterior lacking even a single speck of dust. Chouko knew that whatever the cost the piano held, it was high enough to ensure Junna's motherly protection over it.

Blinking, Chouko glanced at the keyboard, its individual keys also shining with the light creeping through the window. At that moment, she began to remember the smooth feeling of each individual key, a feeling that was almost reminiscent of her glossy hair. She failed to notice the slight twitching of her fingers, moving instinctively as if they were pressing down the keys. Instead, she continued to stare at the piano, seemingly hypnotized.

She remembered the last time she played that piano, which happened about two months ago. Since Junna was away at the time, Chouko had been hoping to play as quietly as she could, so she would not attract anyone else's attention, since there'd usually be at least one other person in the mansion. Unfortunately for her, she got carried away by the lovely melodies of all of the songs she played, and before she knew it, her playing was overheard by her mother, who went to the room to investigate, caught Chouko in the act, and brought her before her father, who sternly reprimanded her for doing something 'useless and trivial'.

"Chouko, I will not repeat myself a second time!"

Sadahiro's voice broke Chouko's train of thought, and she found that her fists had been clenched tightly and trembling.

Dismissing it as some sort of subconscious action and relaxing her fists, she called out, "I'm coming, Father. I apologize for the delay."

Taking one last look at the piano, Chouko then turned her back on it and left. One of her fingers twitched briefly.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"I'm gonna be gone for a week now," said Kimiko as she and her siblings were all seated around the kitchen table, "so take good care of yourselves, okay?" As she spoke, she intentionally avoided eye contact with Naomi, who was staring at her with pursed lips. "Is that understood?"

"Yeah, Onee-chan," Tamika replied, nodding. "I understand."

However, Kaisei let out a huff and crossed his arms, pouting. "Why do you have to go away for a week, Onee-chan? We won't be able to play!"

"It's for my club," Kimiko said, looking at her brother. "And don't worry about not being able to play with me. You've got Tamika to play with!"

In response to the latest sentence, Naomi's skin became slightly red, but no one noticed. As for Kaisei, he shrunk into his seat, still unsatisfied.

"But I love playing with you, Onee-chan..."

"Kaisei-chan, that hurts my feelings," Tamika replied, putting on a mocking expression of sadness. "That really does..."

"Sorry, Tamika!" Kaisei then looked back at Kimiko. "Just...Just don't take too long, Onee-chan!"

"It's only just a week, Kaisei-chan," the magenta-haired teenager replied. "It's not like it's the end of the world. All you have to do is be-"

"Patient, I know." Kaisei took a quick bite of his cereal. "Will you hook up with Naotatsu-san while you're gone?"

Kimiko nearly spat out her cereal as Tamika tried hard to stifle her giggle.

"W-Wh-_What_?!" Kimiko exclaimed. "Okay, first of all, where'd you hear that phrase, Kaisei-chan?"

"What phrase?"

"Hook up."

"At school." Kaisei clasped his hands together. "Pretty please, Onee-chan! I'd like Naotatsu-san to be my Onii-chan! He's funny and I like him!"

Kimiko sighed and closed her eyes momentarily. "Okay, I'll get together with Naotatsu-san-"

"YAY!"

"IF you don't use terms like 'hook up' and whatever else you heard at school ever again," the eldest sister completed sternly. "It's not really considerable table manners, using those kinds of crude phrases." She looked at Kaisei directly in the eye. "Do you understand, Kaisei-chan?"

"Yes, Onee-chan," replied Kaisei happily, eliciting redder skin on Naomi's face. "If that means you'll make Naotatsu-san my Onii-chan, then yes!"

"Good." Kimiko resumed eating her cereal, and then noticed Tamika still trying to hold back her laughing. "Oh, is something funny, Tamika-chan?"

"No, nothing at all..." Tamika replied, cracking a calm smile with all of her effort.

At that moment, the siblings' father entered the room. Youichirou Nishimura was a simple-looking man, with wavy brown hair and brown eyes, and his choice of Hawaiian-style clothing, consisting of a buttoned blue shirt with white-and-green flower patterns and light-brown cargo shorts, along with his bright smile that Kaisei obviously inherited, gave him the appearance of an upbeat, lax man. He approached Kimiko and ruffled her hair.

"Wow," he said proudly. "Staying with the Hashimoto family for a week. Who would've known? Oh, how Mom would've loved to hear this..."

"I think she would've been very impressed, Dad," replied Kimiko, smiling up at him. "So, when do we leave?"

Youichirou glanced at his wristwatch. "In another half-hour. Then I'm gonna go to work." He looked back at Kimiko. "Again, the Hashimotos... Wow..."

"I know, right?" Kimiko smiled, pretending to appear excited. "Awesome, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I trust that you'll handle yourself there?"

"Oh, trust me, I've seen worse-" Upon realizing her unintentional reference, Kimiko's voice cut off at the exact moment as her skin paled. A cold, uncomfortable feeling swept across the kitchen, enveloping it. The only one who didn't recognize the tense moment was Kaisei, who was still calmly eating his cereal.

"Good," piped Youichirou, his strained voice finally breaking the tension. "Well, tell me when you're ready!"

"Yeah, yeah, I shall..." Kimiko's voice trailed off as she felt her father quickly leave the kitchen. Even after her mother's death, the slightest reference to it would send chills down the spines of every member of the family, sans Kaisei, who to this day never understood what was going on during the whole tragedy.

She looked up at Naomi and noticed that she had been looking at her. Their eyes meeting for a second, Naomi then turned away with a silent huff.

Remembering their argument last night, and the point Naomi brought up, Kimiko began to wonder what would've happened had she actually tried to intervene. Would it have made a difference? She knew that there were multiple attackers involved, but...could she have been able to do it? She was trained in kendo and martial arts since childhood, and she knew the weak points of the human body. If she fought to defend her mother, would it work? Would she have succeeded?

But then...Kimiko remembered the fear that overwhelmed her, the horrendous reality of it all... It was so much, it paralyzed her... The best thing she could do in her terror was hide, hide and hear her mother being murdered viciously... Yes, there was nothing she could've done. Naomi had _no idea_ what she went through during that traumatic time. If she fought back, even amid her horror at the situation, all it'd guarantee would be another coffin, another grave to fill, more tears to be shed. Even with her self-defense skills, she wouldn't do much to the animals who tore the scars that nearly ripped apart her family, just more satisfaction.

_"For better or for worse,"_ she thought, _"things turned out better this way. And I'm gonna make the best out of this while I can... Yes, I will..."_

* * *

**Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Takahashi Household**

Takahashi hummed a happy tune to himself, a slight spring in his step as he walked across his room to look at his reflection in the mirror. Knowing that Sadahiro Hashimoto was one of the most successful and influential businessmen in Japan, he expected him to be a stern advocate of proper, businesslike manners, and there was no way he was going to get off on the wrong track with Hashimoto during their first meeting. Therefore, he chose to wear perhaps his best clothing, which consisted of a light-brown coat, a long-sleeved white polo shirt with a small blue tie, and black slacks.

"You look nice, Arata-kun," a voice piped. Takahashi turned around to see his mother standing at the doorway.

"Well, I gotta look nice, Mom," he replied. Then, he added in a snarl, "And stop calling me Arata-kun!"

Ignoring her son, the mother crossed her arms, her smile widening. "So, you are gonna stay at the Hashimoto Manor. With the Hashimotos. Wow. My son, living with the Hashimoto family and learning their way of life." Her smile then became strangely wry. "You know, I heard the daughter is pretty cute-"

"Oh, damn it, Mom! This is not gonna be some hookup! I am just gonna learn the lifestyle of one of the richest families in the country, and that's IT!"

"I even saw a picture of her once-" continued the mother teasingly.

**"MOM!"**

She laughed and waved her hands defensively. "Okay, okay, I'll stop! I know how much you love Hasumi-chan, anyway-"

"Just drop it and go away, Mom. I need to start packing up!"

"Okay, bye." And with that, the mother left, her mischievous smile still in place. Takahashi swore he heard her mutter something about him needing to get a girl in his life, a comment that elicited a frustrated sigh from him. Then, he started packing clothes and other supplies into his suitcase.

Several minutes passed, and Takahashi was finally ready to leave. Stepping out of his bedroom, the first thing the redheaded teenager noticed was the photos of him and his mother in earlier times. Both of them looked so happy and jubilant to be with each other. Takahashi could not help but chuckle at the times when he was actually comfortable being called 'Arata-chan', but such comfortable occurrences were now just a thing of the past.

Gazing at the pictures, Takahashi instantly noticed the lack of a paternal figure in any of them. For his entire life, he never knew who his father was, nor did he even wish to try and find out; from the moment he tried asking his mother about his identity or any other useful information, she instantly changed the subject, and that was that. She also never sought out another man to fill up that absent role, leaving Takahashi's entire life without a father figure. There was only one thing Takahashi knew about his father, and it was that he obviously wasn't worth his mother's time if she refused to talk about him.

Sighing dismissively, Takahashi dragged his suitcase down the stairs, finding his mother watching the news as he reached the bottom. Once again, it was more live news coverage of that cult... The _cult_... The teenager stopped in his tracks, a feeling of dread developing in his stomach as he overheard the report.

_**"Another mass grave has been found, this time at a construction site near the suburbs of ****Nishitōkyō..."**_

Takahashi dropped his suitcase with a soft thud. _"The construction site..."_ he thought in apprehension.

"Arata-kun?" his mother asked, having noticed her son. "Are you all right?"

"Huh?" Takahashi held back his dread and flashed an innocent smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. All ready to go!"

"Okay..." The mother stared back at the old television set. "Can you believe this, Arata-kun? That cult is now getting close to where we live..." She glanced back at her son with a worried look on her face. "Please tell me you're gonna be safe with the Hashimotos, Arata-kun..."

"Yeah, I'm gonna be safe!" Takahashi laughed nervously. "It's a _mansion_, after all! It's gotta have high-level security systems and guards! And if that fails, there has to be a whole bunch of panic rooms too!" He still noticed the worried expression his mother wore, and concluded seriously, "Mom, I'm gonna be fine."

"Okay, honey..."

His mother continued to look at him, however, and Takahashi had the feeling that she was waiting for him to say something. However, he did not grant her this apparent wish, as she eventually sighed and stood up from the sofa, a bright smile replacing all traces of concern on her face.

"Alright, let's go?"

"Hell, yeah!" Takahashi exclaimed in response. He then glanced back at the blaring TV, which was still continuing the report of the latest mass grave.

_**"Sadahiro Hashimoto, whose company is the tenant of the building being constructed at the site where the mass grave was found, had this to say..."**_

* * *

**The ****Nishitōkyō Construction Site  
**Near the suburbs

"I am deeply saddened to be informed of the tragic loss of five hard-working men who were working with their best efforts to build the latest company office of Hashimoto Communications," Sadahiro said into the many microphones that were before him, as a massive crowd of reporters and photographers watched. "It also _disgusts_ me to hear that this tragedy was no mere accident; it was the work of a group of madmen, animals beyond any comprehension. I can't even _begin _to understand such deplorable, monstrous, inexcusable behavior. I just..." The businessman paused to wipe a developing tear from his eye; a soft sniffling was recorded by the microphones. "There are no more words...no words to describe these horrors...none at all..."

The frequency of flashes from the photographers' cameras grew higher as Sadahiro regained his composure, his hands curling into determined fists.

"And so, in honor of the latest victims, Daichi Hosokaya, Wakou Chiba, Yamahiko Miyagi, Jouji Utagawa, and Chuuya Asahara, who worked so hard in the name of Hashimoto Communications, yet tragically failed to see the fruit they would have bore in their accomplishment, I hereby grant tremendous donations to their families as compensation for their losses, as well as the company's unconditional support towards all of the law-enforcement agencies involved in this ongoing investigation and manhunt. We at Hashimoto Communications pray for the five families, and hope for the quick dismantling of this pack of subhuman monsters."

Concluding his speech with a strained "Thank you", Sadahiro left the small podium as many of the onlookers applauded, the flashes of cameras continuing. The businessman quickly managed to get out of sight of the reporters as he strode towards the trailer where the contractor's office was. Standing at the doorstep, waiting for him, was Haruka; the door to the office was ajar, revealing a patient Chouko, who was watching a small television set inside the office.

"Impressive speech, Father," Chouko greeted as Sadahiro approached her. "I've never seen you cry before. Very heartfelt of you."

"Let's just pray to God those monsters are caught soon," snarled Sadahiro. "Of all the top stories my company must cover, it has to be _this_?" He sighed heavily. "I'd rather have the channels spend a year reporting on the migration patterns of seagulls over this." He glanced at Haruka. "What's next now?"

"You'll be meeting up with Inspector Kentaro of the Public Security Mobile Investigation Unit in a couple of minutes."

"Alright." Sadahiro glanced back at Chouko. "I trust that you will be fine here, Chouko?"

"Yes, Father."

Sadahiro nodded before leaving the abandoned office with Haruka, while Chouko resumed watching the television set. Little did anyone notice the pair of eyes hiding cleverly behind a thick shrub of bushes. Glancing at the open doorway to the office, the eyes widened upon spotting Chouko's silver hair.

"The almighty _Kū_," the figure whispered excitedly. "It _is_ her..."_  
_

However, the figure observed the many police officers thoroughly canvassing the area and judged that it was not wise to act now. And so, he or she retreated towards the nearby gap in the fence, slipped through it, and leaped into a nearby silver van whose doors were open. After a few seconds, the van drove away.

* * *

**Nishimura Household**

"Can't really believe you're actually doing this, Kimmie," Naotatsu said as he helped Kimiko pack her suitcases into the trunk of the family car.

"Well, I gotta," replied Kimiko determinedly. "If it'll have even the slightest chance of curbing these murders, then I'll take it. Sadahiro Communications definitely isn't taking that route, so I might as well give them a little push. And don't worry about Ginga, Naotatsu-kun. He'll understand."

"I hope so." Naotatsu looked at a different direction and smiled. "Hey, little man!"

"ONII-CHAN!" Kaisei cried happily as he ran over to Naotatsu and hugged his leg tightly. A scarlet blush appeared on Kimiko's cheeks as her friend laughed.

"Kaisei-chan, I'm not your Onii-chan," replied Naotatsu. Then, he nudged Kimiko's elbow playfully. "Not yet, at least."

Kimiko's eyes widened in horror, just as Kaisei gasped and asked excitedly, "Does that mean you two are getting together?!"

**"NO!"** both screamed simultaneously.

"Awwwww..." The youthful energy in Kaisei's eyes was gone in an instant, and his shoulders began to sag. "Why not?"

"It's-It's something we haven't thought of yet!" Naotatsu said, blushing furiously.

"Then why'd you say you're not my Onii-chan _yet_, Naotatsu-san?" Kaisei narrowed his eyes. "Were you _lying_? Lying's bad, you know!"

"I wasn't lying! I was just joking!"

Kaisei huffed and crossed his arms. "Well, that wasn't a good joke. I was hoping you'd be my Onii-chan. That way we can play with each other."

"I _do_ play with you, Kaisei-chan. What're you talking about?"

"I want you to play with me all the time, Naotatsu-san!"

Naotatsu sweat-dropped, while Kimiko sighed in embarrassment. "K-Ka-Kaisei... I don't think I have the energy to do that-"

"Alright, Kaisei-chan!" exclaimed Kimiko as she began gently pushing a visibly upset Kaisei away from Naotatsu. "As you can see, Naotatsu-kun and I are very, very busy right now, so I'm gonna need for you to wait for your turn to talk to us. Is that okay with you, Kaisei-chan?"

"Fine," Kaisei grumbled. Then, he glared at his older sister with a serious gleam in his eyes. "But I want Naotatsu-san to be my Onii-chan, okay? No one else!"

"Okay, okay, Naotatsu-san will be your Onii-chan soon!" Kimiko found herself immediately regretting that statement, but it was too late.

"YAY!" exclaimed Kaisei happily as he skipped back into the house.

Sighing heavily, Kimiko walked back towards Naotatsu, who was giving her a flat look. The girl crossed her arms.

"Hey, Kaisei-chan just can't shut up sometimes," she snapped.

Naotatsu chuckled. "It's cute, though. In its own way."

"Yeah..." Kimiko placed the last suitcase into the trunk, and Naotatsu closed the door for her. She was about to go back inside the house when a hand abruptly latched itself onto her shoulder; looking back she saw that it was none other than Naotatsu. "Yeah, Naotatsu-kun?"

"K-Kimmie," stuttered the teenager, obviously trying desperately to string his best sentence together. "I-I just, uh, just wanted to t-tell you I...I...I-I-"

"Well?" Kimiko interrupted, her eyebrow raised. "Spit it out already." She then noticed Naotatsu's furious blush. "Hey, you okay, Naotatsu-kun?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He looked away for a moment, allowing himself to recover, then quickly added, almost in a whisper, "Good luck over there, Kimmie."

Kimiko blinked, not expecting that kind of response from her friend. Then, she smiled brightly at her friend.

"Hey, don't worry, Naotatsu-kun," she replied. "I'll be fine. It's not like I am infiltrating that cult or anything." Naotatsu smiled slightly at her, which caused her to remember something she wanted to tell him. "Hey, Naotatsu-kun, can I ask you a favor? It's really important."

"Anything for you, Kimmie," Naotatsu said in a tone that was so serious that even he didn't expect it.

"_Okay_..." Kimiko recovered from her brief shock at his confidence. "Naotatsu, can you please take care of my siblings while I'm gone? Especially Naomi-chan?"

Naotatsu's eyes widened in complete surprise. "You...You want me to _take care_ of your _siblings_?"

"Yes. I mean, if you can't do it, then that's okay-"

"No, I'll do it! I'll definitely do it!" He then raised an eyebrow. "I was just wondering...why _me_? You could've asked anyone else at the club-"

"That's because I would entrust you with them over the others, doofus!" Kimiko punched him in the shoulder lightly in a playful manner. "Look, Tamika-chan and Kaisei-chan both really like you, and I have honestly never seen anyone so freaking patient with Naomi-chan's attitude before, not even my dad. I know you're do just fine being the temporary eldest sibling while I'm gone." She looked at her house, so tranquil, yet screaming target for the cult. "Will you protect them?"

"Of course I will protect them, Kimmie!" Naotatsu placed a fist over his heart to emphasize his determination. "I promise you that! Even when things look bleak, even if I get killed in the process, then the bad guys will have to pass through my dead body first before they harm your family!"

The magenta-haired teenager looked back at her friend and smiled, satisfied to hear his confident response.

"Good." Her smile widened as she hugged Naotatsu tightly. "Thank you, Naotatsu-kun, for this."

"Hey, anything for a friend." Naotatsu seemed to cringe upon saying the last word, but returned the hug.

From inside the house, Naomi watched the entire scene, an incomprehensible expression on her face.

* * *

**Takahashi Household**

_"About time I got to leave this goddamn house..."_

That was the first thought that came to Takahashi's mind as he stepped off the doorstep and closed the door behind him. Without taking a last look at the very place he had to call home, the teenager approached the family car as his mother already got into the driver's seat, an optimistic expression on her face. Putting his suitcase into the trunk, albeit with some difficulty due to its compacted size, Takahashi then quickly got into the passenger's seat, beside his mother.

"Well, let's go?" she asked.

"Yep," replied Takahashi without a single hint of regret in his voice.

As his mother backed the car out of the driveway and drove down the street, Takahashi never took a single look at his house.

_"Goodbye, old life, hello week-long but goddamn awesome high life!"_

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
****Tokyo, Japan  
A couple of hours later**

"_Bye_, Mom!" Takahashi groaned in frustration after his mother gave him her umpteenth question about him possibly forgetting anything. To his relief, she finally nodded, reluctantly so, closed the passenger door, and started the car engine, allowing him to start walking across the parking lot, giving occasional glances at the map he was provided a couple of days ago. As he walked further into the parking lot, he could distinguish the fading engine of the family car...

A strange twinge in his heart...

For some strange reason, Takahashi wanted to stop for a moment and take one last look at the family car as it exited the parking lot, but he managed to think the better of it. This was possibly his only chance at living the high life, so there was no reason to suddenly start worrying. And besides, it'd only be a week till he would return to his original lifestyle of lying under an average roof, eating average food, sleeping in an average bed...

Takahashi shuddered in disgust before returning to his original pace.

It didn't take long for him to find the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters complex building. Smiling in anticipation, he gazed upward at the tall skyscraper, soaking in its marvelous architectural features. Man, even the building itself was majestic and mighty, worthy of belonging to Sadahiro Hashimoto! The obvious American influences in its design, the torch-like spire, the elegant smoothness of the windows, and even the refreshing, gargantuan fountain that was spouting out clear water as fish swam in it! Takahashi might as well have decided to jump in and run around in it like a complete idiot, but he thought the better of it.

"Hey there, _lover-boy_," a familiar voice greeted.

"Damn it," muttered Takahashi. Then, he felt Kimiko's presence behind him and spoke up. "Please don't call me that."

"Oh, don't worry." Takahashi could imagine the sly smirk on the girl's face. "I won't call you that in front of your beloved Hasumi. Nor spill your lil' secret..."

"You'd better not." The two stared at the fountain for a minute before he continued, "It's a nice fountain, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Can you believe that a fountain of such amazing design was actually designed by Sadahiro Hashimoto?"

"_He_ made this fountain?" asked Kimiko, astounded.

"What? Hell, no. He only suggested the design; some poor construction worker or a couple did all the work. And what a clever design it is! The two spirals that snake around the central structure, with the water flowing down them, they're like water-slides! And the fish that swim in the pool below, those look like pretty fine fishes there! The water's so clean and so fresh, man, I'd bet the fish would _hate_ the ocean and prefer swimming in this over a heartbeat."

"So Hashimoto practically did nothing to directly contribute," Kimiko remarked bitterly, "some poor guy does all the hard work, and the fishes, who were all likely taken from the ocean, were stuffed in this pool for show and may not be enjoying the water as we speak. Yep, that's some great guy, Hashimoto."

Takahashi frowned at Kimiko's comment. Then, he heard tires screeching loudly, the second-long popping sound of backfiring, and an engine roaring fiercely, to which his frown became even more pronounced. Both teenagers turned around to see a red sports car roaring down the street, skidding to a sudden halt. The roof was retracted, so they could see the occupants clearly: a wild-haired Hasumi and, to Takahashi's great displeasure...

_"__Noriya Noguchi..."_ he thought with all of the loathing of the world.

"Hey, redhead!" Noriya greeted from the driver's seat, his voice a half-growl, as usual. "Fancy seeing ya here! Did you have to give your house away in order to pay for all of this?" He then spotted Kimiko and smirked, placing an arm on the steering wheel coolly. "Ah, and I see you finally hooked up with someone! A cute one, nonetheless!" He laughed out jeeringly; Takahashi and Kimiko both blushed in embarrassment. "Great job, redhead, great job! OW!"

He reeled over, clutching the back of his head, having been slapped by Hasumi.

"Shut it, Noriya-kun, they only just met," she snapped, although she was smiling. "Now help me with the luggage."

"No prob, babe." The last word made Takahashi let out a savage growl. He always hated Noriya Noguchi, the school troublemaker and gangster wannabe, with a burning passion. It'd make even more sense considering that Noriya was Hasumi's boyfriend, and that their relationship was as solid as a diamond.

Hasumi and Noriya stepped out of the car, opened up the trunk, and took out the former's suitcases, as well as a guitar case, setting them on the sidewalk. As Takahashi and Kimiko came up to them, the former growled even more loudly as soon as he saw the teenage couple kiss right on the lips. He felt Kimiko's stare focus on him, but he didn't care one bit. Oh, how he yearned to punch Noriya in the face, or better yet, give a scratch to his beloved car...

"You have fun, babe," Noriya said upon breaking the kiss. "If they allow you to invite guests, be sure to invite me. There is NO WAY I'm gonna miss out on this!"

"Sure thing, hon," replied Hasumi, smiling.

"Oh, joy..." Takahashi snarled sarcastically; Noriya flicked his head towards him, his spiky, long purple hair flying as a scowl appeared on his face.

"What was that, _redhead_?" he hissed.

"Nothing," corrected Takahashi quickly. As much as he hated Noriya, he knew better to pick a fight with a martial-arts member who also wrestled for the school.

"That's what I thought." Noriya then noticed Kimiko and leaned in to examine her more closely, causing her blush to deepen even more. He bared his teeth in a wider smirk and stared back at Takahashi. "You're a _really_ lucky guy, man, hanging side-by-side with a hottie like that. And to think I doubted you... HA!"

He punched Takahashi in the shoulder playfully, but he put too much strength in his punch, and the redheaded boy clutched his shoulder, wincing in pain. With a soft growl of annoyance, he looked up at Noriya, who had begun laughing...only to suddenly see a strange image of him wielding...a _halberd_?...

Takahashi blinked, and the image was gone. Noriya wasn't armed with anything. At that moment, Hasumi lightly shoved her boyfriend.

"Noriya, you should go now," she said. "We're almost late."

"Oh, yeah right. See ya, babe."

He kissed Hasumi again (eliciting another disapproving growl from Takahashi) and left for his car. As soon as he approached the door to the driver's seat, police sirens began to wail, and were growing closer. Takahashi finally noticed that Noriya had parked beside the red line of the sidewalk.

"Aw crap, REALLY?!" Noriya roared in disbelief. He turned to Hasumi as he whipped his door open. "INVITE ME IF YOU GET A CHANCE!"

Takahashi and Kimiko tried hard to suppress giggles as Noriya hopped into the driver's seat and immediately sped away without closing his door immediately. A few seconds later, a police cruiser streaked past them, its sirens wailing. As the wailing of the sirens faded, Hasumi sighed and shook her head.

"Oh, that Noriya," she said. "That's gonna make the fifth time this week he was arrested..."

"And you're apparently fine by that?" asked Kimiko, much to Takahashi's surprise, as he expected himself to make that question first.

"I know Noriya's an asshole, but he's also kind and caring." She sighed dreamily. "He sure knows how to blow you away during your dates..."

Takahashi scoffed. "Noriya Noguchi, _kind_? _Caring_? Sounds like something I'd see during the apocalypse."

"Laugh it up, _Takahashi_-" Takahashi grimaced at Hasumi's usage of his surname. "-but when Noriya saves your ass during a situation one day, your view of him will change in a split-second or less." She smiled as she stared down the street Noriya sped down. "I know I did..."

He scoffed again. "Yeah, I am sure I will." The redhead then grabbed his suitcase. "Well, I don't wanna talk about him anymore. Come on, we've got a meeting to get to, and there's no way in HELL I'm missing it!" He walked forward, looking back at Hasumi and Kimiko as they followed his head. "Come on, slowpokes!"

"Who are YOU, calling us slowpokes?" demanded Hasumi, grinning.

As he marched towards the building entrance, Takahashi began to wonder what that strange image of the halberd-wielding Noriya was. It was just exactly like the time he felt he knew Kimiko from somewhere when he first laid eyes on her. Only this time, the newest person of focus wasn't a complete stranger.

It was someone he knew already.

But there was absolutely no way he could successfully recall an incident involving Noriya and a halberd..._right_?...

Approaching a set of sliding doors, Takahashi watched as they slid open at his very presence, and he stepped inside. Immediately, he slowly began inhaling the fresh, cool air of the office, then exhaled with a relieved sigh. He then heard Hasumi's scoff as she and Kimiko stepped beside him.

"Enjoying the smell of the office?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Hey, what can I say?" Takahashi looked at his crush, grinning. "This is the building where Sadahiro Hashimoto works! Everything from the architectural design, to the fountain, to the _smell_ of the interior has to be awesome!" Then, he spotted a woman dressed in a suit. "Hey, is that her? Takane Tono, the secretary?"

"Yep, that's her," Kimiko replied, being the first to walk towards the secretary, followed by Takahashi and Hasumi.

"Hasumi Itagaki, Arata Takahashi, and Kimiko Nishimura?" Tono asked.

"That's us," replied Hasumi.

The secretary glanced at the clipboard she was holding. "Who's Hasumi Itagaki?"

"Me."

Tono nodded at Hasumi, looked at the clipboard, then at Takahashi. "And I'm assuming you're Arata Takahashi?"

"Yep, that's me," he replied, smiling.

Another look at the clipboard, then at Kimiko. "And that means you should be Kimiko Nishimura."

"Yes," Kimiko replied modestly.

"Good. Sorry, you three. Security measures are very important here at the headquarters complex of Hashimoto Communications. Especially after the incident at our newest construction site, everyone's on high alert." She raised an eyebrow. "I assume you three have heard about this incident in the news, right?"

"Yeah," Hasumi said. "And that site's close to where I live."

"Same here," added Takahashi.

"Me too..." Kimiko added absentmindedly, looking down at the floor.

Tono's eyes softened. "Oh, I'm sorry." Then, she flashed an optimistic smile. "But let's not think pessimistically right now. I'm sure today's gonna be the start of an extremely exciting and unique week for you! We cannot start it off with sad thoughts. Now, follow me, if you all please..."

Tono led the way towards a bay of elevators, followed by Takahashi, Hasumi, and Kimiko, the latter of whom was still absorbed in thought.

_"Another incident?"_ she thought. _"Close to home, too? Oh, dear God, I hope nothing happens to my siblings... Naomi, Tamika, Kaisei..."_ She looked up at the ceiling.

* * *

**Nishimura Household  
A couple of hours earlier**

"Goodbye, Onee-chan!" Tamika exclaimed as she hugged her oldest sister tightly.

"Goodbye, Tamika-chan," replied Kimiko as she returned the hug. "I wish you luck in your kendo tournament! Wish I could be there to see it..."

"It's okay, Onee-chan. At least you'll be staying with the Hashimotos! Wish _I_ could go with you..."

"I wish I could go too!" Kaisei exclaimed as he hugged Kimiko's leg. "Can I please go with you, Onee-chan? Pretty please?!"

"I am really sorry, Kaisei-chan," Kimiko said, "but they only want three people to stay there, and two other coworkers of mine have already taken those empty spots. There's really nothing I can do about that." She looked down at Kaisei as he stared back up at her with his innocent dark-blue eyes. "But I promise you-" Kimiko looked at all of her siblings, prompting Naomi to look away. "-I promise all of you, I'll call you guys every night. And besides, Naotatsu-san will watch you guys while I'm gone, so be sure to be on your best behavior for his sake, all right? He's agreed to put aside this week to watch you guys."

"We'll be on our best behavior, Onee-chan," Tamika replied, smiling determinedly. "Don't worry about it!"

"Good, and..." Kimiko's eyes softened as she looked at all of her siblings. "...Stay safe, all of you."

"We will, Onee-chan," Tamika and Kaisei both said simultaneously.

* * *

**Hashimoto Communications Headquarters  
Present day**

_"At least I told them to stay safe..."_ Kimiko thought as soon as one of the elevator doors opened.

* * *

**Office of Sadahiro Hashimoto  
Hashimoto Communications Headquarters**

After many minutes, maybe almost an hour of waiting, Takahashi sighed in relief as the elevator doors slid open to reveal the very office of Sadahiro Hashimoto himself. He could feel the bursting, jubilant excitement swelling up inside the pit of his stomach. Even though he could only see a simple desk sitting in front of a wall that bore the Hashimoto Communications logo, he knew it most likely belonged to Tono and that he had not seen anything yet.

"Come along, kids," Tono said as she stepped out of the elevator. The teenagers followed her towards the desk, just as a man appeared from another hallway.

Only...it wasn't Sadahiro Hashimoto. It was...

"_You_?!" exclaimed Takahashi.

"Well, isn't that a goddamn dandy way of greeting your superiors in goddamn public," snarled Itagaki. Then, he spotted Hasumi and smiled. "Hasumi-chan!"

"Hey, Dad," Hasumi replied. "Didn't expect you to be here."

"I was called in here for a separate meeting with Hashimoto-san." He smiled widely, his chest swelling with pride. "And it was quite an honor to meet him! Even being in his _presence_ was glorious enough to warrant a recommendation! Oh, I am SO gonna remember this on my goddamn deathbed."

"It was indeed a pleasure, Itagaki-san," a second voice asked, more deeper and masculine than Itagaki's.

A large man wearing a suit stepped into the same hallway as everyone else. He had smooth, combed black hair and dark-brown eyes, while his body was very muscular and well-developed, something obvious even in spite of the formal suit he was wearing. In addition to the suit, he was wearing a pair of rectangular, frame-less glasses that gave him an air of superior intellect. Takahashi could barely contain his excitement at the very presence at this man.

"I do indeed look forward to interacting with your younger employees for this passing week," Sadahiro Hashimoto said courteously to Itagaki.

"Thank you, Hashimoto-san," Itagaki replied. "The pleasure is mine." He then took a quick look at his watch. "Oh, excuse me. I gotta get to work now."

Sadahiro nodded, allowing Itagaki to make his leave. He nodded approvingly at Hasumi before stopping beside Takahashi, not bothering to make eye contact.

"I swear to God," he snarled so only Takahashi could hear him, "if you goddamn mess this up, Takahashi, I will _personally_ make your goddamn life a living HELL. This is a very precious moment in my goddamn life, to earn the trust of today's most successful Japanese businessman. Understood?"

"Understood..." replied the redheaded teenager nervously.

"You'd goddamn better...otherwise, you'll realize the full force of the repercussions I'll goddamn deal with you..."

And with that, Itagaki approached the elevator, pressed the 'Down' button, and waited for it to arrive. Meanwhile, Sadahiro approached the teenagers.

"I will take things from here, Toru-san," he said. Takahashi could've sworn he saw the secretary's eyelid twitch at the erroneous pronunciation of her name, but she apparently thought the better of it and nodded loyally at her employer, a small smile appearing on her face.

"Yes, Hashimoto-sensei..." Tono replied as she stepped towards the front desk, while the teenagers followed Sadahiro into the main office.

As soon as they stepped into the main office, all three teenagers gasped in awe and surprise at the elegance of the room. The ceiling and the entire opposite wall was pure glass, which gave them a perfect view of downtown Tokyo in all of its glory. Fortunately, even though the headquarters complex was part of the Tokyo skyline, the positioning of the windows allowed for the view to be unobstructed by neighboring skyscrapers. As a result, they were allowed a clearer and rather majestic view of distant buildings and, most notably, the Tokyo Imperial Palace and its East Gardens.

"Wow..." Takahashi whispered.

"Look at this view!" exclaimed Hasumi. "It's so beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like it, kids," Sadahiro replied. "I paid good money to have my office like this. That way, every time I work here, I feel like I'm at the top of Japan."

"That's so _awesome_!" shouted Takahashi as he ran up to the window and staring out of it. Then, he looked at Kimiko, who was examining the rest of the office without so much as a hint of interest. "Hey, Kimiko? Come take a look out here! Don't you see this wonderful view?!"

Kimiko looked out of the window, raised an eyebrow, and then shrugged. "It's okay, I guess..."

As if in response, Sadahiro smiled, stretched out his arms, and declared dramatically, "Welcome to the future, children!"

At that moment, black panels began appearing on the windows, blocking them and therefore obstructing their view of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. It did not take long until the entire office was shrouded in darkness. A couple of seconds later, a light from an unseen projector activated itself automatically, shining onto the window panels, which seemed to also function as some sort of a screen. The first thing Takahashi, Hasumi, and Kimiko saw on this 'screen' was the Hashimoto Communications, but after another few seconds, it disappeared, being replaced with a spinning vortex of color that switched from one shade to the next every second: from shades of red to orange to yellow to green to blue to violet to purple to pink to red and then so on, so forth.

_**"Hashimoto**** Communication Enterprises,"**_ a deep, male voice boomed, coming from the video, _**"or otherwise known as Hashimoto Communications. We are the biggest shareholder and investor in the business of media and entertainment. We invest all of our well-earned money on the best of the best of companies, as well as supervise all their operations. And Hashimoto Communications helms some of the greatest company names in Japan." **_

At that moment, numerous logos and symbols appeared on the screen, many of which Takahashi could recognize. They were mostly related to the mainstream media, such as the news, handheld device manufacturers, anime and manga distribution companies, etc._**  
**_

_**"Without Hashimoto Communications, the quality of your entertainment and the mainstream media would be terribly subpar, and our society would have greatly suffered as a whole because of all this. Time and time again, since its founding at the turn of the twentieth century-" **_The screen showed a montage of old logos Hashimoto Communications held in its history._** "-Hashimoto Communications has gained itself great success and recognition in the national and international fronts of the business world, and serves as a source of influence for future businesses and up-and-coming entrepreneurs.**_

_**"Up-and-coming entrepreneurs..."**_ the voice continued, _**"such as yourselves."**_

The screen displayed school photos of Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi, surprising the teenagers.

_**"You children are the **_**future _of this country...the _future _of this world. You all possess unthinkable and outlandish, yet bright and creative ideas, proud products from the influences of the very society you live in, the congregation of ideas offered from previous entrepreneurs. You were all _made _to be the ones to continue this endless cycle of improvement for the sake of the human race, the next generation. You were all _made _to leave behind your ideas for next generations to use and eventually improve on. To leave behind an unmatched_ legacy_._**

**_"_That_..._That_ is the truth of the human race. We all leave behind our legacies, no matter how trivial they may seem, so the following generations will use such legacies as influences to build their own. Every creature on this planet must leave behind a footprint of some sort."_**

A photo of a human footprint in a bank of sand then proudly displayed itself on the screen.

**_"You will too. And we over at Hashimoto Communications, who have learned such an undeniable truth, have made an honorable pledge to ourselves to help_ you _in making these footprints for the next generation to see and marvel upon. You are all the _future_..."_**

The panels unfolded themselves, allowing light to return into the office and assault Takahashi's eyes with its brightness. As he flinched, he saw, at the corners of his eyes, Hasumi and Kimiko doing the same action. Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked up and saw Sadahiro standing there, still smiling proudly.

"You are _all_ the future, children," he said. "Don't deny that. And believe me, I shall aid you in understanding the process of making a difference in the world, as will everyone else at Hashimoto Communications. Believe me, such a process has become increasingly underrated more recently." He shook his head, indicating his obvious disapproval. "Which is exactly why I started what I hope will be the first program of exposure to the world of business in the world. To ensure that no one (and believe me when I say _no one_) forgets it." He crossed his arms. "It's a rather complicated process, so I hope you three are up for it. ...Are you?"

"Damn right I am!" Takahashi shouted enthusiastically. "Why else did I sign up for this?!"

"Does it look like I have another choice?" added Hasumi coolly.

"I guess..." Kimiko said, almost inaudibly, but Sadahiro ignored the last reply almost immediately, for he started laughing a hearty laugh.

"That's what I hoped to hear!" the businessman exclaimed. "Itagaki-san definitely wasn't lying about your enthusiasm and hunger for knowledge." He grinned even more widely now. "Alright, I believe that'll be it for this meeting. How about I take you three to my home?"

"Wait, what?!" Takahashi exclaimed, feeling his heart skip a couple of beats. "That's really it?! We get to go to your home?!"

"Well, considering it's already the weekend, I think I'd be too rough on you children if I started the lectures immediately. No, I think you deserve to have a good start to this week with a nice period of rest and relaxation at my home. You are free to do as you wish there. Within legal restraints, of course."

_**"OH HELL, YEAH! ALRIGHT!"**_

Takahashi's loud yell of joy was heard throughout the whole floor; a man's yell of surprise could be heard. Hasumi's eyelid twitched in a bemused manner, and Kimiko and Sadahiro watched in confusion as the redheaded boy pranced around the office, reveling in his own excitement.

"I get to stay at the Hashimoto Manor!" he was exclaiming. "Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-huh, uh-huh, that's RIGHT, folks, Arata Takahashi is living the HIGH LIFE!"

"I can see someone's excited..." Sadahiro said, sweat-dropping in amusement.

"Yeah," replied Hasumi, chuckling. "You should've seen him when he was told he'd be taking part in this..."

"What is with all of this commotion?"

Everyone looked towards the entrance to the main office, even Takahashi, who had stopped his jubilant banter. Standing there was a short girl who appeared to be around the same age as the other three teenagers, with sleek hair colored in a dazzling silver, shockingly golden eyes, and an emotionless expression on her face. She was wearing a school uniform, even though it was a Saturday, and had a book clutched to her chest; Takahashi caught a glimpse of the title 'THE PRINCIPLES OF CONSUMERISM AND HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT', almost obscured by one of her arms. He then heard Sadahiro chuckle.

"Oh, forgive me, Chouko," he said, "I should've properly informed you about their presence before you left. These are the three participants in my program." He looked at Takahashi, Hasumi, and Kimiko, gesturing towards the silver-haired girl. "Children, this here is my daughter."

"Greetings, my name is Chouko Hashimoto, heir to the Hashimoto business" said Chouko, bowing down with all the elegance in the world. Takahashi took quick notice to the emotionless, almost robotic tone that was present in her voice; it sounded as if she had been reading a script and recited the lines so many times that she could just recite it by memory without a single hitch. "It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I hope to spend the following week with you in positive spirits, and I do sincerely hope that all three of you bear with me as I observe and participate in your doings."

"Hey there, Chouko," Hasumi replied, smiling. "I'm Hasumi Itagaki."

"And I'm Arata Takahashi, nice to meet you, yeah," Takahashi added in a quick, dismissive tone.

Suddenly, he felt his blood run cold as Chouko stared at his eyes with her empty, golden ones. For some reason...looking into those golden orbs was strangely hypnotic...and Takahashi could tell that this was meant to be in a bad way. Then, Chouko spoke, her emotionless voice now expressing a slight cold attitude.

"I take it by that tone you're displeased at my presence?" she asked.

"N-N-N-No..." stuttered Takahashi nervously. It was nerve-wracking to stare into what might be the eyes of death...

Finally, the tension was broken the moment Sadahiro chuckled again, breaking Chouko's stare from Takahashi.

"I guess this counts as my first lesson," the businessman said. "_Always_ act properly in front of my daughter. She doesn't take kindly to _uncivilized behavior_."_  
_

Takahashi gulped and laughed nervously, sensing that a lot of his usual behavior would be considered very..._uncivilized_...

"Yes," Chouko said, making his blood run cold again. "Uncivilized behavior is unacceptable in my eyes."

"D-Do-Don't w-worry, Chouko-san..." he replied. "I-I won't act all unc-c-ci-civilized..."

The silver-haired girl narrowed her golden eyes at him, making him break out in an extremely hot sweat. It didn't help to know that he had decided to wear his best clothing, which made it all the hotter. Finally, after what appeared to be a couple minutes of this, she turned her head away from him, earning a heavy sigh of relief, and instead looked at Kimiko, who was still curiously examining Sadahiro's office, as if she hadn't soaked in enough detail of it yet.

"And who may you be?" Chouko asked.

"Huh?" Kimiko turned to Chouko. "W-What?"

"You have not properly introduced yourself to me. What is your name? I wish to establish a familiarity with the ones I will share my house with for the week."

"Oh, my name is Kimiko Nishimura." Kimiko flashed an innocent smile. "Nice to meet you."

Chouko surveyed both Kimiko and Hasumi, no doubt using her cold golden eyes; Takahashi couldn't understand why they weren't intimidated like he was.

_"It must be some girl thing..."_ he thought bitterly.

Then, Chouko said, "It really is a pleasure to meet all of you."

However, Takahashi felt as if Chouko was only referring to Kimiko and Hasumi...and not to him...

_"Why do I feel like this is gonna be a very,_ very_ long week?..."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor**

"WHOA, HOLY HELL! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S GONNA BE A VERY, VERY LONG WEEK; I AM **SO** GONNA ENJOY THIS! **YAHOO!**"

Chouko, Hasumi, Kimiko, Sadahiro, and the chauffeur watched in bewilderment as Takahashi pranced around the enormous front yard of the Hashimoto Manor, which boasted walkways of cobblestone, small shrubs of sunflowers growing beside these walkways, fresh grass, and a fountain, designed similarly to the one at the Hashimoto Communications Headquarters complex, located straight in the center of said front yard.

Ahead of the front yard was the mansion itself, which proudly boasted its Japanese design. Large and wide, it had three stories,

Upon reaching the fountain, Takahashi looked into the water and spotted his reflection. Then, he let out the loudest yell of excitement in his life, causing a flock of birds perched on said fountain to fly off into the air, startled by the outburst. Takahashi didn't care when one of the birds' droppings landed on his shoulder.

"Shall I, uh, bring in the limo, sir?" the chauffeur asked, still eyeing Takahashi in surprise as the teenager began spinning around in his joy.

"Yeah, sure..." replied Sadahiro. Then, he sweat-dropped as Takahashi began picking sunflowers, enraging the nearby gardener.

"What a dim-witted fellow," Chouko remarked, staring at Takahashi in cold disapproval as he ran around the front yard, chased by the gardener as he shouted after him. "I must spend one week with him? I'd rather read all the books in the Hashimoto library a hundred times over..."

"That's Takahashi for you," replied Hasumi, having heard Chouko's comment. "He's always dreamed of living in wealth, so naturally, he's this excited."

Chouko scoffed dismissively as she made her way down the cobblestone walkway.

"Just wait till the week progresses," she warned. "He'll be overwhelmed in no time."

**"YEAH, THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! THANK YOU, GOD, FOR THIS MIRACLE!"**

* * *

**Bedroom of Chouko Hashimoto  
Hashimoto Manor**

Ignoring the excited yells of the uncivilized redheaded boy outside, Chouko stepped inside her bedroom. There, she stopped in her tracks upon spotting Fuuta, who was standing near the window, looking out of it and no doubt gazing upon that same boy making the large commotion.

"Fuuta?"

"ARGH!" Fuuta twirled around and held out a broom, as if he were trying to use it as a weapon. "STAY BACK!"

"Relax, Fuuta," Chouko said calmly. "It is just me-"

"Oh, Chouko. Uh..." Fuuta pointed out of the window. "What's going on out there? And who are _these_ people?"

"They're people our age, and they're gonna be staying with us for a week."

The green-haired teenager's eyes widened in shock. "A _week_? _That_ damn lunatic-" He pointed out of the window again, and Chouko didn't need to guess who exactly he was referring to. "-is gonna be staying with us for a _week_? What in the world is this supposed to be?!"

"A program my father started, so please, do not do anything to disrespect it, or my father's name. It would be very much appreciated."

"As you wish, Chou-kee."

"May I kindly ask you to stop referring to me by that name? And...may I also ask why you're in my room?"

Fuuta sighed heavily. "Why do you think I have a broom, Chouko? It was my turn to clean your room, according to the schedule."

"Oh." Chouko began to walk out of the room. "Well then, do continue."

The teenage boy rolled his eyes as he resumed sweeping the floor.

"As you wish..."

* * *

**Unknown location**

**_"I am deeply saddened to be informed of the tragic loss of five hard-working men who were working with their best efforts to build the latest company office of Hashimoto Communications."_**

The man tapped his index finger on the armrest of his chair, making a ticking sound from his mouth as he silently watched Sadahiro Hashimoto making a solemn announcement at the scene of the mass grave at the construction site. Sitting in the middle of a room that was shrouded in complete darkness, his only source of light was an old television set. The golden hood was drawn over the man's head, obscuring any facial features.

**_"It also disgusts me to hear that this tragedy was no mere accident; it was the work of a group of madmen, animals beyond any comprehension."_**

The man immediately stopped tapping his finger. His face moved upward for a fraction of an inch.

**_"I can't even begin to understand such deplorable, monstrous, inexcusable behavior. I just... There are no more words...no words to describe these horrors...none at all..."_**

The man stopped making the ticking noise, and instead, he pursed his lips together. His eyes, devoid of any life, narrowed slowly.

**_"And so, in honor of the latest victims, Daichi Hosokaya, Wakou Chiba, Yamahiko Miyagi, Jouji Utagawa, and Chuuya Asahara, who worked so hard in the name of Hashimoto Communications, yet tragically failed to see the fruit they would have bore in their accomplishment, I hereby grant tremendous donations to their families as compensation for their losses, as well as the company's unconditional support towards all of the law-enforcement agencies involved in this ongoing investigation and manhunt."_**

As Sadahiro spoke his latest sentence, the man raised his left hand slowly. In an absentminded manner, he stroked the furry head of a motionless rabbit, which was being hung like a necklace. However, the man didn't seem to be daunted by this, instead continuing to stroke the corpse as if it were a pet.

**_"We at Hashimoto Communications pray for the five families, and hope for the quick dismantling of this pack of subhuman monsters."_**

A wide, satisfied grin appeared on the man's face, baring teeth, as Sadahiro stared directly at the television set, as if looking at the man watching.

**_"Thank you."_**

The man chuckled, still grinning, and said, "_Excellent_... The plan is proceeding smoothly as expected..."

* * *

_**Beginning of Day One**_

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"**

**Takahashi:** Man, you're so difficult...

**Kimiko:** He's such a conceited, arrogant asshole.

**Chouko:** I do not appreciate this gesture of incivility you are demonstrating...

**Fuuta:** Tell me about it. I gotta deal with this on a daily basis...

**Noriya:** So...is it okay if we can party there?

**Hasumi:** What's wrong, Arata-kun? _Shy_?

**Junna:** Chouko-chan, you really need to loosen up!

**Sadahiro:** There is absolutely no reason for her to be involved in such distracting matters.

**Chapter 5: Day One, Part 2 of 2**

* * *

**A/N:** Longest chapter YET! Man, over 10,000 words! I'm really on a roll here! Hopefully it wasn't a bore to try and get through.

Anyway, it is the reunion everyone's been waiting for, and guess it looks like there might already be a couple of tensions going on! And it also looks like there's still yet to happen, since this is obviously gonna be a two-parter! Whatever will happen next under the Hashimoto roof?

And it'll take a genius to figure out who Noriya Noguchi is. :P

I'd like to thank those who reviewed:

**Serious Pumpkin:** Thanks for the generous review! Yes, it does look like the cult might be moving on the offensive now, but towards whom? :O Oh, and about Kanade/Chouko's mother, she was featured briefly in the prologue. Read near the end of Chouko's section; you'll be able to find her there. And don't worry, the mother will have more appearances in the future, and major ones at that! :D

**EdogawaConan (guest reviewer):** No prob. You were obviously busy reading my story. Glad to hear my treatment of this usual plot-line is refreshing! :D

**Guest reviewer:** Keep it up I shall!

**BloodPokemon101:** Yes, Yuri/Kimiko's mother died. And you'll see the cult in action in a couple of chapters, so don't worry.

**Hammiam:** Hey, there you are! Oh, don't worry, the "random kid" won't be so random as we get further along in the story. Like I said earlier, he'll be important. ;D

**SuperGirlInJeans:** Well, considering that Otonashi's been reincarnated into this new identity, it'd figure that he's a bit OOC.

**Leviathn:** Glad to hear you enjoy this story! :D I shall keep it up!

Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	6. Day One, Part 2 of 2

**A/N:** Sorry about the slightly long wait. I happened to be busy working on another story that has been on my mind for a while now, and the production's been kinda difficult on me. But now, I managed to finish up the newest entry in this awesome story. Hopefully it's entertaining enough for y'all!

ENJOY!

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: DAY ONE, PART 2 OF 2**

* * *

**Afterlife Name - _Post-Afterlife Name_**

Yuzuru Otonashi - _Arata Takahashi_

Kanade Tachibana - _Chouko Hashimoto_

Yuri Nakamura - _Kimiko Nishimura_

Masami Iwasawa - _Hasumi Itagaki_

Hinata Hideki - _Naotatsu Yunokawa_

Ayato Naoi -_ Fuuta Ukiyo_

Noda - _Noriya Noguchi_

* * *

**April 25, 2026**

* * *

**Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Hashimoto Manor**

"AH, YES!" Takahashi bellowed as he burst into the bedroom reserved for him and collapsed on the king-sized, luxurious bed. "AH, **YES**! NOW **THAT'S** WHAT I'M TALKING 'BOUT!" He began sliding his limbs across the smooth surface of the mattress, as if making a snow angel. "Yes, yes, _yes_... I'm so _happy_..."

Suddenly, he heard someone clear his throat, disturbing his happiness. Sitting up, flustered and surprised, Takahashi spotted a boy around his age standing at the doorway, a broom and dustpan in his hands. The boy seemed to resemble some sort of train conductor, with his black gakuran, black pants, and black-and-dark-blue Mao cap. His dark-green hair flowed down loosely to his chin in multiple strands and his golden eyes had an intimidating glint to them, as if these very eyes were about to pierce into the very soul; they reminded Takahashi of Chouko's eyes... He couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

"I'm here for cleaning," the boy piped, "so if you don't mind..."

"Not at all," replied Takahashi, standing up from the bed. Watching as the teenage boy began dusting every nook and cranny of his new bedroom, he could not help but feel intrigued by the history of his...butler? He couldn't tell if the boy actually worked here or something...

"Yes?" asked the boy. Takahashi realized that his act of observing him wasn't so subtle.

"Nothing," the redhead replied. "It's just...do you work here?"

The boy sighed and shrugged dismissively. "Technically, I guess. My mom's worked in this mansion even before I was born. She actually gave birth to me in this very mansion. Since she's a maid, I guess that immediately meant I had to be a..._maid_ as well... Even if I don't technically have any licensing or prior experience. But I'm good at what I do; I've been doing this for my entire life. There's no need to worry if I mess up on anything."

"Okay. That's good to hear." Takahashi flashed a small but friendly smile. "So, what's your name, man?"

"Ukiyo," replied the boy as he continued dusting without directly looking at Takahashi. "Fuuta Ukiyo."

"Nice to meet you, Fuuta. I'm-"

"The guy who was prancing around the front yard and bugging the gardener like an idiot?" Fuuta scoffed as Takahashi sweat-dropped. "Yeah, I know."

Takahashi continued, much more bitterly this time, "The name's Arata Takahashi. Nice to meet you too."

"I've heard you and those two girls will be staying with us for a week. Some program that bastard Sadahiro Hashimoto started." He scoffed again as he moved on to a drawer; his sweeps suddenly became more aggressive. "Well, isn't _that_ nice of him to reach out to ordinary guys and gals like you."

"For your information, it _is_ nice of him to do that, treating me and my friends to his awesome home." Takahashi's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And I really don't like that tone in your voice. Sadahiro Hashimoto is one of the greatest and most influential people in Japan, in the whole world even, and he does not squander all of that for selfish and egotistical reasons. If he were that way, then I wouldn't have been invited over to this damn awesome place by him!"

Once again, Fuuta scoffed. "I see."

"What in the world is with some people?! First Kimiko, and now you! You guys think Hashimoto-san is some bastard! Where's the proof in that?"

Fuuta finished sweeping and gazed at Takahashi with glinting eyes and a nasty smile on his face. The redheaded boy growled angrily at the expression.

"Oh, if only you knew." The green-haired boy then started walking and passed Takahashi, whispering as he did so, "Good luck."

Takahashi looked behind him, just in time to see Fuuta briskly walk out of the doorway and round the corner, out of sight. The redhead sighed with anger.

"Man, you're so difficult... All of you guys..."

With that, he collapsed back onto his bed, although there were no more sounds of excitement and enthusiasm.

* * *

**Hashimoto Living Room  
A few minutes later**

"I wonder where Arata went..." Hasumi said, examining the extremely lavish living room she and Kimiko were standing in.

"He probably pranced off somewhere," replied Kimiko as she pouted. "I just cannot understand the guy. How in the world could he find love in something that's as sick and corrupted as this? Well, I know his lifestyle isn't exactly the best, but he should know what money does to people..."

"Hey, don't lecture to me, lecture it to him. I honestly don't care much about this; all I care about is having the time to find a name for my band."

Kimiko looked at her new friend, an eyebrow raised. "Find a name for your band?" she repeated. "You're a singer?"

"Yep. And a songwriter too." A proud smile crept onto Hasumi's face as she made a pose, appearing as if she was carrying an invisible guitar. "For my entire life, I've always deeply loved music, especially rock music, and it's my heartfelt dream to form a rock band of my own. I already have the band, I have some songs in mind, but practically the only thing I need now is a title for my band." She then frowned sadly. "We've thought of everything, but no good ideas have come up. I guess this is why I'm participating in this program of Hashimoto-san's, anyway. Maybe through his techniques could I learn how to make an appealing name for the band me and my friends created together." She looked at Kimiko. "So, tell me Kimiko, why'd you participate in this if you don't like wealth so much?"

"Well, I was hoping I'd try to see the good side of wealth for a change." Kimiko's pouting expression returned. "But so far, it's not working."

"What's your impression of Sadahiro Hashimoto so far?"

Her response was terse and bitter. "He's such a conceited, arrogant asshole."

Hasumi tried to stifle her laughter. "Wow, that's...that's harsh, girl." After managing to calm down, she asked, "Why conceited and arrogant? Why an asshole?"

"He speaks as if he's some tyrant sitting on a throne, looking down on peasants. He thinks he's benefiting those belonging to classes lower than his; he thinks all the things that he's done are for the good of the well-being others, but underneath it all, I can sense it: his actions are just to promote his big, fat EGO."

"Excuse me?" an emotionless, feminine voice asked. Kimiko turned around and saw Chouko standing a few centimeters behind her.

"EEK!" Surprised, Kimiko jumped away from the silver-haired girl. "Where the hell did YOU come from?!"

"I walked into the room, like any other average person," replied Chouko, as if it was the simplest answer in the world. "Now, what is it that I am hearing about my father, the one who has graciously offered you his shelter, from someone who is at the receiving end of said gift?"

"H-H-_Huh_?..." Kimiko was confused by Chouko's advanced rhetoric. She shook her head and replied, as best as she could, "It's nothing. I was talking about-"

"Someone else?"

The magenta-haired teenager's skin turned pale at the accurate prediction. Hasumi blinked, looking back and forth between the other two girls in curiosity.

"Uh..._yes_..." replied Kimiko.

"So you were talking about a man who coincidentally bears my father's namesake and, judging by your rhetoric, is also wealthy."

Kimiko remained silent for minutes. She knew Chouko had her there; after all, there was no way in _hell_ another Sadahiro Hashimoto resided in Japan as a high-ranking, prominent member of the upper class. However, as much as she hated him, she didn't want to offend anyone who wasn't involved in her agenda. After all, she never was one to involve innocents in her affairs. She opened her mouth, preparing to speak, but Chouko cut her off.

"I know you're talking about my father, Kimiko Nishimura. I do not appreciate this gesture of incivility you are demonstrating towards him, your _host_-"

"I'm just not a fan of rich people, that's all!" blurted Kimiko. "It is something expected of me to rant against rich people like your father, so please, as much as I know you won't like it, I will complain and complain all I want, no matter what good deeds-" She mentally shuddered in her mind. "-he has done for us."

Chouko blinked at her, still looking emotionless. It was that moment when Kimiko noticed she was standing upright, towering over the silver-haired girl, just as she always did whenever she was scolding someone...namely a certain sister of hers... Straightening herself out and sighing calmly, she continued.

"Are we clear on that?" she asked.

"As long as it's not within my father's presence," replied Chouko calmly. "He has gone out of his way to be your host for the week."

"I understand. Not in your dad's presence."

"I guess that shall be a satisfactory compromise. However, do not think I will approve of your unappreciative mannerisms. I have also gone out of my way to be a proper host for you three, physically and mentally." She turned her back on Kimiko and left the room. "I hope you'll remember that."

As soon as Chouko left the room, Kimiko sighed in relief. Then, she turned to Hasumi, who looked dumbfounded.

"What?" Kimiko asked.

"She went out of her way to be a proper host for us?" recited Hasumi. "Physically and mentally? Sounds like she went through a strict training regiment."

"Ah, it's probably nothing."

As Hasumi shrugged and continued exploring the living room, Kimiko collapsed onto a large sofa. After her confrontational discussion with Chouko, the teenage girl felt that she had enough for the day. Her plan would commence tomorrow anyway, and she had to prepare for her observations...

Her mind began to wander, and she thought about Chouko. Now that she thought about the silver-haired girl's mannerisms, she couldn't help but feel as if...as if she knew her from somewhere before. It was the exact same feeling she had when she first spotted Takahashi at the newspaper-sorting facility, but as with the redhead, she couldn't recall meeting Chouko before in her life. Whatever her vague memories were, they seemed quite..._supernatural_...

* * *

**Reserved Bedroom of Arata Takahashi  
Over an hour later**

"HEY, ARATA! WAKE UP!"

"Oh, not now, Mom... Just give me fifteen more minutes..."

Hasumi blinked, then stifled her giggling as she grabbed a pillow and playfully hit her coworker in the head with it, jolting him awake.

"OKAY, OKAY, I'M AWAKE, MOM!" Takahashi's eyes widened, and he looked around, examining his surroundings. "Oh, right. I'm staying at the Hashimoto Manor." He looked up at Hasumi and abruptly blushed in embarrassment. "H-H-_Hasumi_! Y-You didn't have to w-wake me up like that!"_  
_

"I've been looking all over for you, idiot," she replied, putting the pillow back in its original place. "You ran off."

"Well, I guess that is what happens when I arrive at an awesome mansion for the first time, knowing I'm gonna be staying at it for a week."

The redheaded boy stood up from his bed and stretched his arms out. Suddenly seizing the opportunity to impress his longtime crush, he flexed his arms as he did so, attempting to show off the muscles that he managed to develop during the brief exercise regiment he tried to pursue a couple of months ago. However, it was already too late for him, as she was already fully engrossed in the design of the bedroom's interior.

"Wow, you landed yourself a nice room," she remarked. "I haven't seen mine yet, but I'm gonna assume it'll be as awesome as this..."

"I know, right?" Then, Takahashi blurted out, before he could control himself, "Hey, if something happens and you can't use your room, we can share."

Hasumi glared at him, to which he felt all of the heat stored within his body preparing to explode with the force of an atomic bomb. He could not believe he said such a potentially embarrassing thing to the girl he had a crazy crush on for so long! He felt as if the world was falling apart; he desperately wanted to die...

To his dissatisfaction, she burst out laughing, even though it wasn't a jeering laugh.

"Man, Arata, you're priceless sometimes!" she exclaimed between laughs. Then, she looked at him with her blazing eyes, smiled her usual smile, and continued, "But I thank you for the offer. That's very nice of you. I'll be sure to come to you if I somehow can't use my bedroom anymore."

Mentally, Takahashi sighed in relief. Then, he listened closely to the next words she spoke.

"But don't you dare do anything _indecent_ to me if I do share the room with you, Arata. I already have a boyfriend, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," he replied scathingly, although she didn't notice the tone of his voice, for she already began to leave. Sighing, he collapsed back on his bed in defeat. "Oh, Hasumi...if only you knew how much I felt about you... If only that goddamn Noriya Noguchi didn't exist..."

He then stood up from his bed and left the room. Turning right, he froze in his tracks upon spotting the familiar silver hair.

_"Aw, man..."_ he thought. _"Not her..."_

Fortunately, Chouko's attention was diverted elsewhere, for she was standing at the doorway of another room, staring inside it longingly. However, there were no sounds coming from that particular room, so Takahashi assumed she was either immersed in her thoughts, or was looking at something inanimate. Realizing that Chouko likely held him in bad regards and would give him a scolding if she spotted him (after all, he remembered afterwards his 'uncivilized' outburst upon arriving at the manor, which he couldn't help), Takahashi began tiptoeing towards her, since the staircase was conveniently past her.

As soon as he was behind her, Chouko whispered, "Greetings, Arata Takahashi."

The redhead froze in his tracks again, his skin paling. "H-H-_Hey_..."

Chouko narrowed her eyes at her, although her face continued to remain emotionless. It looked rather frightening to Takahashi.

"I believe the proper term is 'Greetings, Chouko'," she said.

"Huh?"

"I believe the proper term is 'Greetings, Chouko'."

Takahashi blinked, realized what she meant, and replied, "Greetings, Chouko. Good morning- I mean, evening."

"Greetings." Chouko noticed his slightly messy crimson hair. "I see you've awakened from your brief nap."

"Yeah. It was a nice nap, I guess..." Takahashi desperately wanted to avoid striking a conversation with the strange girl. "C-Can I go downstairs?"

"I am not stopping you."

He resumed walking, and once he believed he was out of earshot, he let out a heavy sigh of relief. Then, Chouko's next words caused his skin to crawl.

"I heard that, Takahashi."

Not wanting to provoke her unnervingly cold attitude, Takahashi rushed down the staircase at unusually high speeds. Passing by Kimiko without saying a word to her, he quickly entered what he assumed to be the kitchen (or at least one of several kitchens) and instantly spotted several young maids, all of whom were washing the dishes and preparing food. The maids all looked up, curious expressions on their faces; these were replaced with bright, happy ones in seconds.

"Welcome, Master!" they greeted collectively in cute voices. "We're preparing the food for you! What else do you wish for us to do?..."

The maids closed in on him as Takahashi smiled in delight... Hasumi was one of them, leading the rest, with a seductive twinkle in her eye...

...

Takahashi _wished_ he was in the kitchen, surrounded by beautiful young maids...

Instead, he had just been cornered towards a wall by Chouko, who still appeared emotionless, though he knew she was now angry- no, _frustrated_ at him. Her golden eyes pierced his own burgundy ones. Her voice broke his train of thought as he tried to escape the reality of the situation.

"I _really_ do not appreciate your uncivilized, lower-class, tasteless behavior, Arata Takahashi," she said, her voice eerily calm. "The primary purpose of my father's program, the reason you are here, is to educate you about the mechanics of success. Your current behavior and mannerisms are in no way essential to that. As the heir of my father's business, I realize completely that such thoughts and actions, all done for the benefit of only yourself, do not get you anywhere essential and wholly significant in life. If you wish to learn about success, if you wish to become a great businessman, then you must first learn the absolute basics that I have just spoken. After all, you _were_ chosen as a participant for my father's program, and you _were_ excited to be here, isn't that right?"

"Y-Y-Yes..." stuttered Takahashi.

"And therefore, I should assume you are willing to learn how to be successful."

"Yes."

However, Takahashi knew that was a lie; all he wanted to do for this entire week was enjoy it under the roof of a mansion and all of its services. Nothing more, nothing less. He couldn't care less about learning how to become a businessman like Sadahiro Hashimoto, even though it'd help him get a mansion of his own.

"Then I suggest you start being gentlemanly," Chouko said sternly. "Mannerisms are essential ingredients to success."

"B-B-Bu-But...I thought your father said-"

"To enjoy yourselves?" completed Chouko. "No, he is doing this to evaluate you three. Find out how hard he needs to put his knowledge into your minds. But I do not approve of his tactic." Takahashi noticed her frame grow tense. "I believe that, especially in your case, you need to learn now-"

"You _actually_ disapprove of something your dad does?" a familiar voice asked, feigning shock. "Now _that_ is a big surprise, Chou-kee."

Chouko's body relaxed as she twirled around. Takahashi noticed the same boy with the Mao cap approaching them. Fuuta Ukiyo.

"How many times have I asked you not to refer me by that nickname, Fuuta?" asked Chouko calmly.

"What nickname? Chou-kee?"

"Yes. Please..._don't_..."

"Then leave the guy alone. He just got here, and I doubt your dad is THAT much of an asshole to pull off whatever evaluation you just described." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Can't believe you actually said something like that, Chou-kee. I probably should've brought a recorder-"

"I do not appreciate your teasing, Fuuta."

"Then go. Why are you up here, anyway? Don't you have some _studying_ to do?"

Chouko blinked, her face still lacking any discernible emotion. She faced Takahashi briefly again, then walked away from the two boys and down the staircase. Once she was out of earshot, Takahashi let out a heavy (but quiet) sigh of relief, then looked at Fuuta, smiling thankfully.

"Man, thanks dude," he said. "She was totally ganging up on me."

"That's Chou-kee for you," replied Fuuta, shrugging.

"What the hell did _I_ do, anyway?! All I did was say hello to her, and she lectures me on how to do it 'the right way'."

"And I'm betting she went all-out Rambo on you when you were relieved from almost getting out of her hair."

"...Y-_Yeah_..." Takahashi raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what's Rambo?"

"Never mind that. What you need to know is that she obviously doesn't like you. Especially after your little-" He cleared his throat. "-outburst in the garden."

"Like I didn't notice." The redheaded teenager shook his head. "Man, that girl is even worse than my boss. Doesn't she know I take living in an awesome place such as her home seriously? I couldn't help it once I got here. If she lived like I did, in a crappy house with a crappy lifestyle and a crappy job, she'd know..."

"Believe me, she can get very obsessive over proper mannerisms and stuff. That's how she and I became friends. I'm just a total opposite of what she expects people under her roof to behave like, and she tries to lecture me every chance she gets." Fuuta chuckled and shook his head again. "She stops after a while if you don't listen to her, but you will always see that death glare in her eyes every time she looks at you. It's a scary thing, those eyes of hers, huh?"

"Damn right, it is..." Takahashi clenched her fists. "Man, she seems to be such a pain in the ass..."

"Tell me about it. I gotta deal with this on a daily basis..."

Takahashi looked at Fuuta, and Fuuta looked back. A chord of understanding between the two seemed to have been struck.

Finally, Fuuta said, "Look, I apologize for my behavior during our first meeting."

"No, it's okay," replied Takahashi, shrugging. "Apparently, people just hate Sadahiro Hashimoto nowadays."

The green-haired teenager raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "And you don't?"

"To be honest, I mostly like him because he offered me a chance to stay in this awesome mansion of his." He looked out of a nearby window, staring on as the bright sunlight broke through the finely-designed glass. "You should live in _my_ home for a week. You're gonna wish it passed by when a minute goes by." Then, he sighed as he realized something. "I kinda feel bad. I mean, he's set aside his spare time to give us this much, and all I have been doing is acting like a little kid. I probably should be thanking him..." He looked at Fuuta. "Don't you feel at least a little thankful for Hashimoto-san?"

"What do you mean?" Fuuta asked.

"I mean, you may not have the best job, but you get to live in his mansion all the time instead of at some other, less desirable home."

"I guess I should feel grateful he lets us live here..." Fuuta looked away. "If only I could... It's just..."

His voice trailed off, prompting Takahashi to ask, "It's just what?"

"It's complicated. I don't think it should concern you." He looked back at him, smiling. "Anyway, I probably should get back to work. Sorry if I kept you waiting."

"No, it's okay. Hey, thanks for saving my ass back there. I thought she was gonna-"

"Freeze you to death?" completed Fuuta. He then chuckled. "Yeah, she gives you that feeling, doesn't she? And you're welcome."

Takahashi nodded and walked down the hallway, past Fuuta. However, before he could go down the staircase, he heard the boy call out to him.

"Hey!"

The redhead looked back. "Yeah?"

"Sorry, but I forgot your name. What was it again?"

Takahashi blinked, then smiled and replied, "Arata. Arata Takahashi."

"It's nice to meet you, Takahashi. We might disagree on certain things, but I guess we found one topic to agree on."

"Yeah, that's right."

Takahashi trekked down the staircase, happy and content that he was able to quickly settle things with Fuuta and find a good friend in him.

_**"Thank you...so much..."**_

He suddenly stopped and looked up. Fuuta was in the middle of dusting a wooden table holding a vase.

"Hey, Ukiyo!" he called.

The green-haired teenager looked back, adjusting his Mao cap. "Uh, yeah Takahashi?"

Takahashi blinked as he continued to watch Fuuta adjust his cap. For some reason, he found a sense of familiarity with that strange choice of clothing. He didn't know what was happening anymore; first Kimiko, then Noriya, and now Fuuta? Left and right, strangers were completely familiar to him...

"Did you say something?" he asked.

Fuuta raised an eyebrow. "No. Why?"

"Oh. I could've sworn you said something to me..."

"I have nothing else to talk about, if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh." Takahashi nodded. "Sorry. I'll just be going."

And with that, the redheaded boy continued going down the stairs, thinking about what just happened.

_"What the hell is going on here?..."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Backyard**

"Oh my God, they have a POOL!" Hasumi exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight as she and Kimiko stood in the backyard, examining its layout. "And a Jacuzzi too! I'm SO glad I was able to bring along my swimwear for this!" She glanced at Kimiko. "You gonna go swimming?"

"Yeah, I guess," replied the magenta-haired girl absentmindedly, looking absorbed in her thoughts. "Maybe later..."

Before Hasumi could continue, she felt a vibration in her pocket. Realizing that it was her cellphone, she took it out, checked the number, and answered it.

"How's jail, Noriya?"

"Oh, ha ha ha," came the sarcastic voice of her boyfriend. "Very funny, babe, very funny. FYI, I managed to lose those cops. Those suckers are too cowardly to even take a little jump." He laughed arrogantly. "Anyway, babe, did you ask the guy if you could have visitors over?"

"He said we're free to do as we wish for the weekend, and didn't mention any limitations. I'm assuming that includes having friends over."

"So...is it okay if we can party there?"

"Did you really have to ask? I'll give you the address-"

**"OH MY GOD, A POOL!"** shouted a familiar voice. Takahashi dashed out of the mansion and towards the side of the pool. **"AND A JACUZZI TOO! MY GOD!"**

"What was that, babe?" Noriya asked, having heard the outburst.

Hasumi giggled at Takahashi's enthusiasm and replied, "Oh, it's just Arata, freaking out over the mansion as usual."

"The redhead? I should've known. Hey, he's not doing anything indecent to you, is he?"

"Of _course_ not, babe. Why would he?"

"Every time I see him with you, he ogles you every chance he gets."

She scoffed. "Nonsense. Arata's too nice and sweet to do that, Noriya. _You_ on the other hand-"

"Hey, it can't be helped!" Noriya interrupted irritably. "You HAD to be gifted with a hot body. Anyway, let's save that for the party. What's the address again?"

Meanwhile, Takahashi's attention had been diverted from the pool. He had just heard Hasumi compliment him again, let alone speak highly of him towards that bastard Noriya Noguchi. Blushing happily, he then heard Hasumi give the mansion's address and then frowned; he knew she was inviting Noriya over. No doubt that would be followed by Hasumi's friends and band-mates, not that he held them in contempt as well. He had been hoping to spend the weekend alone with Hasumi, without as much sources of interference as possible... He sighed and looked at the surface of the pool as it glittered with the sunlight.

"You okay, Arata?" a voice asked.

Takahashi looked to his left and saw Kimiko standing there. He then looked back at the water's surface.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

"Seems your excitement has finally died down. About time."

The redhead exhaled and glanced at Hasumi, who was still talking on the phone. Kimiko followed his gaze, saw who he was looking at, and smiled craftily.

"You know," she said teasingly, "she's gonna go swimming later."

"So?"

Kimiko closed her eyes, still smiling. "I'm assuming you brought your swimwear, Arata?"

"Well, of course..." Takahashi realized what she was talking about and sighed. "Oh. I get it. You're saying that I get to see her wearing some hot swimsuit." He looked at Kimiko, an upset look on his face. "Yep. Might as well be the closest thing I possibly have to letting my perverted side run wild."

Kimiko elbowed him lightly. "_Or_...this could be a good chance for you to compliment her."

"Oh, so you're being Cupid now?" He scoffed. "Four words, Kimiko. She. Has. A. BOYFRIEND."

"Doesn't seem like that's stopping you."

He glared at her angrily. "As much as I like- no, _love_ Hasumi and want her to love me back, I am not selfish enough to ruin her own happiness for the benefit of my own. If she is happy with that bastard Noriya Noguchi, then I might as well sit back and let her enjoy it. I'm not gonna do that to her."

"Wow." Kimiko looked legitimately surprised. "You really _do_ like her, don't you?"

"No, I-I..." Takahashi looked back and sighed in relief upon seeing that Hasumi had gone back into the mansion; his voice had been a bit too loud. "I love her. I mean... She's always been so nice to me when everyone else at my school kept making fun of me and giving me hell for being average, since day one. ...She is actually the only person who bothered to be my _friend_. And I got my crush on her because of that. She treats me like I'm..._not_ average. Like I'm special."

Kimiko listened to the entire story, her eyes shimmering with pity. She pursed her lips.

"Wow... So...you're telling me she's your _only_ friend?..."

"The one and only. I'm surprised she's stuck with me this entire time..."

"Well, that's a lie."

Takahashi looked at her. "Huh?"

Kimiko smiled brightly at him. "I'm your friend too."

He blinked in surprise. "You... You consider yourself as _my_ friend?"

"Ever since you walked me home."

"Why? Wasn't I _ogling_ you during the walk?"

"Well, you like Hasumi a lot, so I didn't have to worry about myself. Besides...I think I can trust you with anything. And I don't think you're average."

"You...You think I'm not average?"

"No." Kimiko smiled. "I think you're...you're special."

"As in how?"

"I don't know. I just think you are special." She lightly punched Takahashi in the shoulder. "And I swear, I'm gonna help you land Hasumi."

Takahashi sighed and shook his head. "No, no, you don't have to do that-"

"Come on! Let me prove I can be your friend too! You look cute with Hasumi anyway." She made a determined fist. "I will give you advice on how to approach a girl like Hasumi. What do you say, Arata? You know you can't hold those feelings forever. They're gonna eat you alive from the inside. What do you say?"

Takahashi blinked at Kimiko, shocked at her attitude towards him. For some reason, he felt..._welcoming_ towards it; even though they only knew each other for a week, he felt as if they knew each other for their whole lives. It was a really strange feeling...but for now, he was glad to have it. After all, he was finally having another friend who wasn't Hasumi. And who knows? Maybe Kimiko might help him get over his feelings for Hasumi...

He nodded happily. "Let's do this."

* * *

_"WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!"_ Kimiko thought as she aimlessly paced around the Hashimoto backyard._ "I SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON THAT BASTARD HASHIMOTO, BUT NOW I'M GOING OUT OF MY WAY TO HELP ARATA OUT ON A SIMPLE GIRL PROBLEM! GOD, AND I'M ALREADY CALLING HIM BY HIS FIRST NAME!"_

She suddenly stopped pacing and looked up at the sky. Not a single cloud was present, allowing her an unhindered view of the blue sky. She sighed calmly.

"Okay, calm down, Kimiko," she whispered to herself. "You've got one week to act. There's no need to rush, right? Arata's a friend; you should help him out. You have plenty of time to get yourself accustomed to being Hashimoto's employee, then protest against his methods. Yeah, that's right. There's plenty of time..."

Kimiko looked back towards the pool, where Takahashi was still at. He was dipping his feet into the water of the Jacuzzi, relishing in its soothing feel.

_"Besides...I feel like this is really important...and I must help him... But...But why?..."_

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Family Room  
Later that evening**

Takahashi couldn't have asked for a better dinner than this. Sitting at the oblong eating table belonging to the Hashimotos, he stared hungrily at the exquisite dish of food before him. He was about to eat it all like a ravenous animal, but he felt someone's cold stare trained on him; looking up, he was greeted by those judging golden eyes belonging to Chouko, and he then knew better than to act uncivilized, especially since not everyone still had their dishes served to them.

"So, Takahashi?" asked Sadahiro, catching the redhead's attention. "How do you like my hospitality so far?"

Takahashi smiled excitedly, partially because he didn't have to deal with Chouko's pressure.

"Oh, I'm greatly enjoying it so far, Hashimoto-san!" he exclaimed in response. "I really thank you for offering us your hospitality! It's really appreciated!"

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine." He then smiled as a maid placed a dish of food in front of him. "You'll enjoy the food, you three. Junna's quite the master cook."

"I can't wait," replied Hasumi, who was sitting beside Takahashi at his right.

Meanwhile, Sadahiro glanced at Kimiko, who had already been served her dish. Now, she was playing with her food, apparently lost in thought.

"How about you, Nishimura?" he asked.

"Huh?" Kimiko looked at him and cracked what appeared to be a heavily forced smile. "Oh yeah, I'm enjoying it so far."

However, Sadahiro raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't look like you're enjoying yourself right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Hashimoto-san. I was just thinking about my siblings back at home."

Takahashi glared at her. "Wow, you have siblings?" He sighed sadly. "Man, I wish _I_ had a sibling. Preferably a brother. It's so quiet and dull at my house."

"Well, look at the bright side, Takahashi," Sadahiro said, smiling. "Without any siblings, it shall give you more time to focus on your dreams and ambitions. Look at Chouko, for one example. She has no siblings of her own, and it gives her a lot more time and good opportunities to attend to her studies. She doesn't need to have other opportunities, ones that can potentially weigh her down. One of the keys to success is to put your dream as your first and foremost opportunity."

Before Takahashi could reply to that, there was a clatter of metal, followed by the scraping of the chair. Kimiko had stood up, a fire alive in her eyes.

"How the hell could you say that?!" she screamed.

"Pardon me?" replied Sadahiro, confused.

"So you're saying that people you love, such as your siblings, would just _weigh you down_? You're saying that in order to be successful, we should just cast them aside in favor of our dreams?" She narrowed her eyes menacingly. "Why the hell would I wanna do that to my siblings, who I love so much?!"

"I didn't mean it literally. I am just describing the advantages of having no siblings-"

"Oh, well here's some disadvantages! It'd be pretty damn lonely to have no siblings, for one! I'm pretty sure Chouko wishes for a sibling, deep down inside!"

"I do not wish for a sibling," Chouko said calmly, her eyes closed, "nor do I feel any sense of loneliness because of it. After all, I have my parents, and all of the employees of this mansion. I have a lot of people who are sure to relieve me of any feelings of loneliness that cloud my mind."

"Yes, that's right," Sadahiro replied, proudly ruffling his daughter's silver hair as Kimiko seethed angrily. "Now, if you please, Nishimura, do kindly sit back down. I sincerely apologize if I brought any degree of offense towards you, and I really wish for this dinner to be a tranquil, civil one."

Kimiko looked at Takahashi and Hasumi, both of whom were looking back at her in surprise, then back at Sadahiro and Chouko. Then, her body loosened up as she sighed and sat back down on her chair. As she did, she quietly whispered, in an almost inaudible voice, "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, Nishimura," replied the businessman, smiling at the restoration of order. "Now, my wife should be here at any moment, so please, do refrain from succumbing to your hunger, children. We cannot start this nice dinner without the lady of the household. For now, let's occupy ourselves. Takahashi?"

Takahashi's attention was quickly piqued. "Yes, Hashimoto-san?"

"Tell us a little about yourself."

"Well, for starters, I'm a sophomore at my high school. A public one, of course. My grades are okay..._ish_..." The redhead cleared his throat. "Nothing much to say about myself, really." Then, he snapped his fingers as he remembered something. "Oh, I do have a dream I'd like to share with you all."

"Really? Enlighten us."

"I've always hoped to become a businessman one day."

Takahashi could've sworn he heard Chouko scoff, but he ignored it. In the meantime, Sadahiro raised an eyebrow, a curious twinkle in his eye.

"Businessman, eh?" he asked. "What would your company specialize in?"

"I'm...not really sure... That's as far as my ambitions go..."

"Well, it's a good thing I have you under my wing. My lessons could help you get on the right path towards your goal. How about you, Itagaki?"

Hasumi blinked, surprised that she was being addressed, then replied, "Well, I have always wanted to start a band. It's been a dream of mine since I was a kid because I've always been a big fan of music. Especially rock music. Me and my friends actually already have a band formed, but what we don't have right now is a good name. To this day, I still work on it." She smiled brightly. "But I guess if I spend this week having your lessons, I could probably have some inspiration."

"A band, huh? That's nice, that's actually really nice. Music is a great venue in entertainment. Since Hashimoto Communications has some influence on recording stations, then I'm gonna assume we'll see each other again in the future. I wish you and your band luck in your endeavors."

"Oh, thanks," Hasumi replied, smiling.

The businessman then turned to Hasumi, his eye twinkling. "And how about you, Nishimura?"

"Huh?"

"What's your story? What motivates you to come to me for education in the world of business and industry?"

However, before Kimiko could respond, a woman stepped into the kitchen. She heavily resembled Chouko, with her petite form, smooth silver hair, golden eyes, and emotionless face. She stopped, spotted Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi, and smiled a small smile in greeting.

"I assume these are the three teenagers participating in your program, Sadahiro," she said.

"Yes, they are," replied Sadahiro. "This is my wife and Chouko's mother, Chitose. Honey, these are Arata Takahashi, Hasumi Itagaki, and Kimiko Nishimura."

"A pleasure to meet you, miss," Takahashi greeted.

"Yeah, it's cool to see ya," added Hasumi.

"Hey," Kimiko whispered.

"Oh, thank you, you three," Chitose replied, smiling. "So, I sincerely hope you three are enjoying the hospitality of my family and my home."

"We are, thank you very much," said Takahashi.

"That is good to hear." The silver-haired woman sat beside Chouko, just as a maid placed a dish of food in front of her. At the same time, all of the butlers and maids, including Fuuta, seated themselves at the table, their own dishes ready. "Well then, enough of this conversation. Let us eat."

"Itadakimasu," the group recited before eating their meals.

No one noticed the heavy, relieved sigh that came from Kimiko's mouth before she ate her first spoonful of food.

* * *

**Hashimoto Manor Living Room  
A couple of hours later**

Night had fallen upon Hashimoto Manor as soon as the dinner ended. Takahashi, Kimiko, and Hasumi were now in the living room; the latter two were sitting on chairs, while Takahashi was relishing in the luxury and comfort of the sofa and its pillows. After a couple of minutes passed, he looked at Kimiko curiously.

"Hey, Kimiko?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she replied absentmindedly.

"What happened back there?"

Hasumi looked at Kimiko, a curious expression also etched on her face. "Yeah, what was that?"

"What was what?" Kimiko said bitterly. "I was just saying the truth, that's all." She glared at the both of them. "Don't tell me you two _agreed_ with that crap."

"Well, _no_," Hasumi replied. "I don't think having a sibling affects your dream. But I'm pretty sure Hashimoto-san didn't mean it in _that_ sense-"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he meant it in every goddamn way. I know it."

"Kimiko," said Takahashi, "you shouldn't just lash out to him like that, though. He's being very nice to us, giving us this kind of luxurious shelter, treating us with respect, giving us advice on how we can be like him... I know you don't like rich people, but they have feelings too, and if you keep this up, you'll hurt his."

The magenta-haired girl looked away. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Now, please get off my case. I really don't wanna talk about this any further."

"Kimiko, are you okay?" Hasumi asked.

"I'm fine!"

Hasumi blinked, continuing to look at Kimiko curiously. Then, she shook her head, checked her wristwatch, and stood up.

"Well, Noriya's gonna be here in five minutes. I'm gonna go change into my swimsuit now. See ya at the pool."

The pink-haired girl left the room, leaving Takahashi and Kimiko alone. The redheaded boy looked at Kimiko, who was now staring out of the window.

"Hey, Kimiko!" he whispered.

She glared at him angrily. "What? My apology not good enough for you?"

"No, it's not about that! You said you'd give me advice on how to approach Hasumi! I want to have my first lesson. What do I do?"

Kimiko's green eyes widened in surprise as she remembered the promise she made with him. At first, she wanted to turn him down, being heavily caught up in her frustration against Sadahiro Hashimoto and his beliefs. However, as she looked into Takahashi's gleaming, determined burgundy eyes, she was once again struck by their familiarity. Angrily berating herself for her tough decisions in her mind, she nodded in understanding.

"Well, first things first," she began, "girls like being given compliments from guys. Considering she's gonna be wearing her swimsuit, you compliment her. Say to her that she looks beautiful in it." She then raised a finger at him in warning. "And don't make it sound perverted. Don't act as if it is just about her body. It's all about what she is: herself. So therefore, make it all about her. Be nice. Be kind. Be what she is to you. D'you understand, Takahashi?"

Takahashi recited, "Compliment her, but make it about what she truly is, not about her body, and don't make it perverted. Got it."

"No ogling too!"

"Okay, okay, I get it!"

Just then, the doorbell rang, followed by three consecutive loud knocks on the front door. Takahashi sighed and shook his head.

"No other idiot would just ring the doorbell and then knock hard on the door..."

The two heard the doorman open the front door, followed by Noriya's voice shouting, "**YAHOO**! TIME TO GET THIS PARTY **STARTED**, BITCHES!"

"I appreciate it if you not use such foul language, sir," the doorman said calmly.

"What, you have a problem with that, ya loser?"

A brief, deathly silence, then... "No, I don't, sir."

"That goddamn idiot..." whispered Takahashi.

Seconds later, a group of four people entered the living room, all carrying bags. One of them was Noriya, who looked extremely gleeful and was grinning with a nasty excitement of sorts as he examined the entire room. Takahashi then recognized Noriya's companions as Hasumi's friends and fellow band-mates, Masako Watanabe, Hitomi Saito, and Saori Inoue. The three girls all spotted the redhead, and Masako frowned at him bitterly.

"Well, well, well," she said, smirking, "if it isn't Mr. Average."

Takahashi frowned bitterly. "And hello to you too..."

"REDHEAD!" Noriya exclaimed, wrapping his arm around his neck tightly, causing him to gag slightly. "Good to see ya again!" He gave a jeering grin. "So, how is this fine mansion. Did ya have a heart attack the moment you first saw this place? I'm betting ya fainted right before ya stepped foot into this place first..."

Masako, Hitomi, and Saori all giggled at Noriya's joke, while Takahashi sighed angrily.

"Good to see you aren't in jail...Noriya..." gagged Takahashi sarcastically.

Noriya frowned and tightened his grip. "I don't like that tone you're using, redhead..."

Kimiko, finally having enough, stood up and marched over to the purple-haired boy. Takahashi's eyes widened, as did the other girls' as she faced Noriya.

"Hey, leave him alone," she snarled.

Eyeing the magenta-haired teenager with interest, not showing any intimidation, Noriya merely laughed in response. Then, he released Takahashi, allowing him to collapse on the sofa and catch his breath. Immediately afterward, Noriya leaned in close towards Kimiko, who did not flinch at all; he traced his eyes upward, observing her body. Takahashi growled in disgust when he noticed that Noriya's eyes stopped for a moment at Kimiko's chest before resuming their movement.

"You're lucky your girlfriend is _awfully_ cute, redhead," Noriya said, cracking what appeared to be his seductive grin, although it looked nasty. "If Hasumi was not _my_ girl and I had my way, I'd likely be asking this lovely little chick out on dinner." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, causing Kimiko to scoff. "Eh?"

"Oh, I'm flattered," replied Kimiko sarcastically. "_So_ flattered. Now get outta my face, pervert, or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Noriya leaned in closer; their noses might as well be touching. "Come on, babe, you know you can't resist..."

"NORIYA!" Masako shouted suddenly, an outraged expression on her face. "What're you DOING?! You're actually _cheating_ on-"

"Settle down, Masako, I got this." He focused his attention back on Kimiko. "So, what do ya think of me now, babe?"

Suddenly, Kimiko smiled a smile that would've as well belonged to the worst of villains. For one second, Noriya wasn't intimidated, as usual. In another second, his purple eyes widened in horror, followed by a loud and drawn-out moan, one of agonizing death. Everyone else's jaws dropped open in complete disbelief as Noriya Noguchi collapsed to the carpet, his hands tightly placed over his crotch, his body quickly assuming a pitiful fetal position. Kimiko's arm was outstretched and in the position of an upward-facing punch, her fingers balled into a deadly fist. Her devious smile was still in place.

"K-K-Ki-Kim-_Kimiko_..." stuttered Takahashi, unable to comprehend what just happened.

He had never seen a girl like her remain completely unaffected by Noriya's seductive efforts, let alone even down him with only one single punch, even if it was focused on his crotch. His eyes widened when Kimiko then knelt down beside Noriya, her expression now one of friendliness, as if nothing had happened.

"Hopefully _that_ taught you a lesson or two," she whispered into Noriya's ear. "_Now_ are you gonna behave? Or do you want another lesson in manners?"

Noriya nodded. However, the magenta-haired girl suddenly punched him in his side, lightly so, but with enough force to elicit a pained, fearful whimper.

"Can't hear you," she snapped.

"Yeah, I'll behave," replied Noriya quickly.

Kimiko smiled. "Good."

"OH MY GOD, WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!"

Everyone looked at the hallway and saw Hasumi standing there, wearing a red two-piece bikini with white flower patterns. Her face was reading an expression of confusion and shock. Both Noriya and Takahashi blushed in complete embarrassment, while Kimiko stood up and approached the aspiring singer.

"Apparently, your boyfriend has some issues with loyalty," she said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go change into my swimsuit."

Kimiko left the room, leaving everyone else behind, completely dumbfounded. Takahashi heard Noriya whisper something.

"_Good God_..."

* * *

Takahashi couldn't believe his luck as he watched Hasumi and Noriya arguing inside the mansion. He, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were all standing outside in the backyard, near the swimming pool. At this point, the Jacuzzi had been activated, and Hitomi and Saori were wading their feet in the warm water. As for Masako, she was pacing around impatiently, muttering incomprehensibly to herself. Then, she finally stopped, looked at Takahashi as he continued to watch Hasumi and Noriya's argument unfolding, and then marched towards him. Takahashi noticed her coming; his eyes widened in alarm.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" he exclaimed. "What's going on?!"

Angrily, Masako slapped him hard across the face, her brown hair flying as she did so.

"YOU JERK!" she snapped furiously.

"What the hell did _I_ do?!" Takahashi hollered, clutching his cheek.

"You're really such a loser, aren't you?! Looking at those two, possibly the greatest couple in the world, yelling it out, with that stupid smile on your face?!" She scoffed, her teeth still clenched. "But then again, I know what's going on. You have that stupid crush on Hasumi, so you're happy they're breaking up-"

"Wait, what?!" interrupted the redheaded boy. "How'd you know I had a crush on Hasumi?!"

Masako scoffed again. "You've never been the best at hiding secrets. It was SO obvious." She glared at Hasumi and Noriya. "Happy now, Mr. Average?"

"Yeah, well I am," Takahashi snarled. "Can't believe you think Hasumi and that bastard make a great couple. Didn't you see what happened back there?!"

"He does that all the time. He just looked so serious this time. But-"

Suddenly, she stopped and smiled. Takahashi followed her gaze, then felt his heart drop upon seeing Hasumi and Noriya embracing and kissing happily.

_"Oh, goddamn it..."_ the teenager thought sadly. Then, he was forced to crack a happy smile at the couple as they stepped into the backyard.

"I see you two have made up," Masako said, smiling.

"Well, as long as _someone_ keeps their promise-" Hasumi lightly elbowed Noriya in the shoulder. "-then this ship is still sailing, and still sailing strong." Then, she looked at Takahashi, smiling at him. "Hey, Arata. Wanna go swimming?" She winked playfully. "Maybe you can hook up with one of the girls or something..."

Takahashi blushed in embarrassment, while Masako grunted disapprovingly.

"No, not in a million years would I _ever_ hook up with _Mr. Average_," the brown-haired girl snarled. Ignoring Takahashi's bitter expression and Hasumi's sorrowful one, she walked away and called out at Hitomi and Saori. "Alright, girls, we are gonna go swimming! Let's get this party STARTED!"

Hitomi and Saori both let out a collective shout of joy as they abruptly started taking off their clothes, followed by Masako. Takahashi gagged in shock, but once the three girls completely peeled off all of their clothes, he realized that they were wearing bikinis underneath. Grinning with delight, Noriya rushed towards the swimming pool and jumped inside it, followed by the three girls. Meanwhile, Hasumi noticed Takahashi's shocked expression and grinned playfully.

"I see you enjoyed that little show there," she said.

Shaking his head, Takahashi replied, "No. Nope. I was just..._surprised_, that's all."

"Why don't you join them?"

He shook his head again. "No way. Those girls wouldn't want an average person like _me_ to be sharing the pool with them. They don't like me."

"_Masako_ doesn't like you, and don't let that bother you. She's always tough to people around her."

The redhead scoffed. "Yeah, I wish."

"But Hitomi and Saori, _they_ don't have a personal say about you. Who knows? Maybe you can hook up with either of them...or maybe both..."

"No."

Hasumi leaned towards Takahashi, and he made the mistake of looking at her. His eyes widened at her; with her playful, teasing expression, her pose, and her goddamn bikini, it seemed as if she was _seducing_ him. His skin began to redden with every passing second, and she noticed this, causing her grin to widen.

"What's wrong, Arata-kun?" she asked. "_Shy_?"

He didn't know how much of this he could take. All of the pressure and mental agony...a man could only take so much. He could feel his heartbeat increase very rapidly as a rather intense heat held him in its grip. His mind was spinning with so many thoughts... The world blacked out around him...

* * *

"Arata? Arata?! Arata, wake up! ARATA!"

Takahashi moaned with exhaustion as he regained consciousness, feeling someone lightly slapping his cheek. His eyelids fluttered open, then he found himself looking into a pair of sea-green orbs. Blinking in surprise, he quickly sat up, nearly bumping his head into Kimiko's as he did so.

"Wh-What?" he asked. "H-How long was I out?"

"For almost a couple of minutes. I was thinking about pouring cold water over your head."

"Well, thanks Kimiko..."

Takahashi noticed that Noriya, Masako, Hitomi, and Saori were still in the pool, swimming and laughing. Glancing at Kimiko, ignoring the bikini-clad Hasumi, who was still present, his eyes widened in surprise. Kimiko was wearing a two-piece bikini of her own; it was green and rather thin, showing off her body.

_"Couldn't a guy get any more luckier or what?..."_ he thought before passing out again.

* * *

**Bedroom of Chouko Hashimoto**

Chouko watched from her bedroom window as the other teenagers played in the pool or attended to Takahashi, who had just fainted again. She scoffed at the redheaded boy's foolish, uncivil acts. Never before had she come across anyone so frustrating; she thought Fuuta would be unsurpassed by anyone else. With a disapproving sigh, the silver-haired girl turned away and prepared to walk out of the bedroom when she saw Junna at the doorway.

"Oh, Junna-san," she greeted, not reacting at all. "What are you doing over here?"

Junna smiled and raised her dustpan. "Well, gotta clean your bedroom before you go to sleep, my dear Chouko-chan."

"Oh. Well, by all means, go on ahead. I'll just go and change into my sleepwear."

"What, you aren't gonna go swimming with them?"

"I find no priority in swimming and socializing with people of a lower class."

"Chouko-chan, every time I see you, the only person you really talk to is Fuuta-kun. And with your studying sessions, I doubt you have any friends in school."

"So what if I don't have any friends at my school?" Chouko asked.

"Well, isn't it good for you to have some friends? It's always good to have friends around you, joking with you, laughing with you, and having fun with you!"

The girl looked away abruptly, strands of her silver hair flying as she did so. "Friends and acquaintances are a secondary duty in life. Your dreams and ambitions should be one's primary duty. If I alternate between those two duties, simultaneously, then it would deal a severe blow with my dreams and ambitions. And my dreams and ambitions are to inherit my father's company and maintain the fame that has held it in high regards in the world."

Junna sighed angrily and replied, "Chouko-chan, you really need to loosen up!"

Chouko looked back at her. "Pardon me?" she asked.

"I know inheriting your father's company is really important to you, but it does not have to be all the time. It's pretty easy to juggle between your social life and your educational life. Believe me, Chouko, when you have friends, you're gonna have the time of your life, and you won't regret it!"

"There is absolutely no reason for her to be involved in such distracting matters."

Junna and Chouko looked at the doorway and saw Sadahiro standing there, his arms crossed and a stern expression on his face. Junna frowned angrily.

"How in the world could you _say_ that, Hashimoto-sensei?!" the maid exclaimed. "Especially about your own _daughter_?!"

"I am merely doing what's best for her," Sadahiro replied. He then looked at his daughter. "Chouko, please leave the room. I am going to have a little talk..."

Chouko nodded obediently and passed the two adults. As she did, Junna noticed the strange gleam in the girl's eyes, but couldn't think about it any further. As soon as she left the room, Sadahiro towered over Junna, glaring down at her. She gulped, knowing that she had always been smaller than her employer, and it was great knowledge to the both of them that this was an excellent advantage for the businessman.

"Junna-san, I appreciate the concern-" he began.

"Like hell you do," interrupted Junna, looking away and staring out of the window. "Chouko-chan doesn't have any friends!"

"She has your son. That's good enough."

She glared back at Sadahiro. "Yeah, she has one friend. _One friend_. That is sure gonna help her in her future if she runs your business."

"_When_ she runs my business," corrected the businessman, sticking his chin up slightly.

"Poh-tato, pah-tato. How is she gonna interact with her coworkers and employees? Let alone handle a business meeting? You need social skills to-"

"I know you need social skills to do all of that." Sadahiro smiled. "Which is why I bring her to my business meetings. To let her learn off of what I do. And do not worry, Junna-san, I allow her to interact with the members of my board of directors and even business partners and representatives of other companies. She is perfectly capable of handling herself just fine." He then placed his arms on his hips. "Is there anything else you want to talk about with me, Junna-san?"

Knowing that she couldn't reason with her stubborn boss, Junna shook her head. Sadahiro's smile widened, and he nodded.

"Good. Now do your job and clean the room. You're very lucky you're a diligent worker, Junna-san, otherwise I would've fired you for your disgraceful insolence, and you and your son would be out on the streets." He turned around and left the bedroom. "You have a good night, Junna-san."

"Yeah, you too, Hashimoto-sensei," snarled Junna bitterly. However, Sadahiro ignored the tone of his maid's voice and walked away, going out of sight.

With that, she began dusting, all the while wondering what she could do to help Chouko. She knew that girl deserved better than this. But what could she do?

* * *

Simultaneous to the conversation between Junna and her father, Chouko had stopped by at the maid's bedroom. She planned to go downstairs and retrieve a book for her to read, preferably one related to business. However, when she passed the doorway to that bedroom, she stopped, as she always did. That piano always drew her in somehow; it seemed to hold a magnetizing trance. After resisting briefly against her underlying emotions, Chouko glanced into the room.

There it was. The piano. Even if the room's lights weren't on, its surface continued to gleam, as if it were calling out for her, begging her to play it. Chouko took a step forward, entering the room, but stopped herself from continuing. She could feel all her fingers twitching on their own accord, as if they were pressing the individual keys on the keyboard. She can easily imagine herself playing that mysterious, intriguing tune on it...

If only she knew what that tune was... It was so catchy...

Chouko's eyes widened when she realized what she was thinking. She shook her head and lightly punched herself in the cheek.

"Do not think that way," she whispered to herself. "You are Chouko Hashimoto, heir to Hashimoto Communications. You cannot deny your future..." She tried to turn away, but continued to find herself captivated by the piano. "You cannot... The Hashimoto legacy calls for it... I cannot...distract myself...with this..."

"You have a good night, Junna-san."

"Yeah, you too, Hashimoto-sensei."

Realizing her father was about to leave, Chouko quickly stepped out of the room and pretended to dust herself. At that moment, Sadahiro appeared.

"Oh, hello Chouko," he greeted. "Did you forget something?"

"Oh, no," Chouko replied. "I was just dusting myself. I fell over."

Her father raised an eyebrow. "You..._fell_..."

"Yes, Father."

"You fell over."

"Yes, Father."

Sadahiro raised an eyebrow, but Chouko maintained her posture. She knew that her father found her answer to be strange, but she was proud to hold enough discipline to give off the impression that she was innocent of any wrongdoing. Finally, he sighed and shook his head.

"You know," he said, "Junna-san thinks about you and your well-being _way_ too much."

"It's understandable. She's known me for my entire life. She's like a second mother, in all essentials."

"Yes." However, Sadahiro's voice was solemn. "But she doesn't understand you. Nor does she understand the Hashimoto lineage. She must learn that we take the world of business very seriously. However, she scoffs at it, and it worries me... It really does, Chouko... I should do something about it..."

With that, Sadahiro passed Chouko and traveled down the staircase. The silver-haired girl watched her father go.

_"Do something about it?"_

* * *

_**End of Day One**_

* * *

**NEXT TIME ON "THE WINGS OF AN ANGEL"**

**Takahashi:** What happened?...

**Hasumi:** OMG, this is gonna be the best day of my life!

**Kimiko:** Remember my advice...

**Takahashi:** I seriously wanna die right now...

**Naotatsu:** So, how are you doing over there?

**Unknown:** Welcome to Akihabara!

**Masako:** Hey, you should be lucky I'm not kicking your ass right now.

**Takahashi:** Hey, what're you looking at?

**Chapter 6: A Shopping Trip**

* * *

**A/N:** Wow, this was even longer than the last chapter! Hopefully this one was enjoyable to go through. For some reason, I feel as if the quality sucked a little. With college around the corner for me, I think the pressure's getting to me and I'm losing my edge. Again, I hope you enjoyed!

And I'm pretty sure we all know who Hasumi's three friends are...

**Hammiam:** Well, I didn't watch "A Certain Magical Index", so it's likely a coincidence. And don't worry, the Noda/Iwasawa pairing will unwrap eventually.

**EdogawaConan (guest reviewer):** Thanks for the review! I promise you, this story will keep on going even if it's on its last leg. I have deleted or discontinued too much stories in my career as much as it is.

**Leviathn:** Actually, I'm pretty sure the anime made it clear she died, unless you figured it out from another source that I (and anyone else, for that matter) am not aware of, since it's public knowledge Kanade died too. Oh, and that cult? You'll see more of them soon, so don't worry.

**BloodPokemon101:** Don't worry, all of these unorthodox pairings I'm using will unwrap eventually as we go along. :D

Before I sign out, I would like to comment on some criticisms that I've seen in a couple of the newest reviews. As they have said, Takahashi is out of hand with his excitement. I'm sorry if I put too much emphasis on that, but I do wanna point out that he couldn't wait to live in that mansion, which has been his number-one goal for that past week. I'm probably not a reliable source, but if I had such an ambition, I'd probably freak out in happiness no matter what. Just saying.

Well, hope you enjoyed this long chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


	7. ANNOUNCEMENT

Hey, guys! Quick announcement! Sorry if any of you guys thought this was another chapter.

Yes, it's pretty obvious that I haven't been updating lately. My apologies for that. (And yes, I know it's only been less than a month since the last update, but still, I just needed to be sure you guys know I'm still alive and at work since I usually update quick.) Anyway, the reasons why I haven't updated yet are clear-cut obvious. College has just started for me, and I am also working on a couple of other stories that I've been wanting to work on for so long. In other words, I've become very busy. I'm still working on the next chapter, don't worry. However, the updates will become significantly slower in-between, so please, I ask you to be patient.

Oh, and don't worry, I'm still alive.

TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!


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